THE  GIFT  OF 

FLORENCE  V.  V.  DICKEY 

TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

AT  LOS  ANGELES 


THE  DONALD  R.  DICKEY 

LIBRARY 
OF  VERTEBRATE  ZOOLOGY 


THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 


49  0     * 


/?%>*«. , 


THE 


NATURALIST 
OF  THE  SAINT  CROIX 

MEMOIR  OF 
GEOEGE  A.    BOAEDMAN 


A    SELECTION    FROM    HIS    CORRESPONDENCE 

AND      PUBLISHED     WRITINGS,      NOTICES     OF 

FRIENDS    AND    CONTEMPORARIES    WITH    HIS 

LIST    OF     THE 


BIRDS    OF   MAINE    AND    NEW    BRUNSWICK 


BY 

SAMUEL   LANE  BOAKDMAlSr,  M.  S. 

University  of  Maine,  Honorary,  1899 


BANGOR 

PRIVATELY    PRINTED 
1903 


I  AM  delighted  to  know  that  you  have  shot  that  black  and 
golden  winged  woodpecker  after  which  I  have  been  search- 
ing so  long.  He  has  escaped  me  for  about  forty-eight  years,  but 
I  am  glad  to  get  him  now.  I  also  do  want  that  female  pied  duck. 
We  do  not  possess  either  sex  in  the  Smithsonian  and  want  it  very 
much.  And  please  let  me  have  that  queer  Labrador  Duck  with 
the  bill  that  doesn't  belong  to  it.  We  will  immortalize  Milltown. 
— Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird,  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  Letter  to  George  A.  Boardrnan,  June  22,  1871. 

Would  it  be  possible  to  send  the  nest  in  a  box  so  packed  that 
it  would  be  fit  to  paint  from  on  arrival?  I  would  employ  Wolf  to 
make  a  handsome  painting  of  it  with  old  and  young  birds,  and 
you  should  have  the  first  copy  struck  oft*,  colored  by  Wolf  himself. 
Please  do  help  me  in  this  and  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  immortalize 
you  as  the  first  who  has  enabled  us  to  give  full  particulars  of  the 
breeding  of  this  bird. — Henry  E.  Dresser,  London,  Eng.,  author  of 
History  of  the  Birds  of  Europe,  in  Letter  to  George  A.  Boardman, 
May  27,  1872. 


nrar 


SB 


im 


TO  THE  ORNITHOLOGISTS  OF  AMERICA : 


THIS  Memoir  of  one  of  the  Pioneer  Field  Naturalists 
of  the  United  States,  a  plain  man  of  business  who 
traveled  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  and  from  the 
Mountains  of  the  North  to  the  Great  Gulf  of  the  South 
in  his  study  of  Birds  ;  who  gathered  the  largest  private 
collection  in  ornithology  and  natural  history  of  any 
citizen  in  this  country ;  the  accuracy  of  whose  scientific 
knowledge  was  only  exceeded  by  his  noble  character  and 
beautiful  life ;  Friend  of  Baird,  Brewer,  Cassin,  Coues, 
Lawrence  and  Wood  among  the  great  ornithologists  who 
have  Passed  and  of  Allen,  Dresser,  Elliot,  Ridgway  and 
Verrill  among  those  who  remain —  is  Respectfully  and 
Lovingly  Dedicated. 


! 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  present  volume  grew  out  of  the  belief  on  the 
part  of  members  of  Mr.  Boardman's  family,  as  well 
as  that  of  his  many  friends,  that  a  life  so  successful  in 
business ;  so  largely  devoted  to  a  study  of  one  of  the 
leading  branches  of  natural  history ;  so  rich  in  personal 
experiences  and  so  true  and  noble  in  character,  should 
not  end  and  leave  no  record  of  what  had  been  accom- 
plished within  the  period  of  that  life. 

When  the  work  was  contemplated  its  plan  was  simple. 
It  was  designed  to  republish  Mr.  Boardman's  lists  on  the 
fauna  of  the  St.  Croix,  for  which  there  had  been  much 
call  from  scientists,  especially  for  his  list  of  birds  and  to 
accompany  its  reissue  in  a  new  form  based  upon  the  lat- 
est authoritative  nomenclature,  with  a  memorial  sketch 
of  Mr.  Boardmau  which  would  give  some  account  of  his 
life  and  of  his  service  to  science. 

But  when  the  material  in  hand  had  been  examined  it 
was  found  to  be  so  extensive  in  volume,  so  rich  and  val- 
uable in  character  and  so  important  to  science  that  the 
original  plan  was  changed.  The  scope  of  the  work  was 
enlarged ;  a  more  careful  memoir  was  decided  upon ;  the 
use  of  Mr.  Boardman's  large  correspondence,  including 
the  many  letters  from  leading  ornithologists,  was  to  be 
drawn  upon  as  showing  the  importance  and  progress  of 


Vlll. 


INTRODUCTION 


his  studies ;  as  indicating  the  value  which  the  great  sci- 
entists of  England  and  America  placed  upon  his  work, 
the  high  esteem  in  which  his  friendship  was  held,  as  well 
as  his  judgment  consulted  and  depended  upon  by  them. 

Thus  the  volume  has  grown  as  the  material  has  been 
made  use  of.  If  it  is  larger  than  originally  designed,  the 
hope  may  be  expressed  that  it  is  not  too  minute  to  satisfy 
Mr.  Boardman's  friends,  while  it  would  have  been  an 
easy  matter  to  have  made  it  more  comprehensive. 

There  is  yet  a  vast  mass  of  unused  material  as  enter- 
taining as  any  that  has  been  made  use  of,  or  that  appears 
in  the  work.  Among  this  material  are  many  letters 
from  our  greatest  and  best  known  naturalists  of  Mr. 
Boardman's  day,  with  unpublished  notes  and  chapters 
on  natural  history  subjects.  These  record  Mr.  Board- 
man's  observations  with  great  carefulness  and  in  a  style 
extremely  graphic  and  interesting. 

During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Boardman 
wrote  much  for  the  local  newspapers  of  Calais  and  St. 
Stephen.  While  this  was  done  as  a  matter  of  personal 
amusement  the  articles  thus  contributed  were  exceed- 
ingly entertaining.  These  extend  to  more  than  two 
hundred  and  are  upon  a  wide  range  of  subjects  —  those 
of  current  interest ;  relating  to  his  own  observations  or 
the  result  of  his  wide  reading  ;  upon  natural  history  sub- 
jects and  upon  topics  that  were  engaging  the  attention 
of  people  of  the  two  cities. 

Of  especial  interest  to  residents  of  St.  Stephen  and 
Calais  was  a  series  of  thirty  articles  or  chapters,  under 
the  general  heading:  Early  Times  on  the  St.  Croix. 
These  consisted  largely  of  Mr.  Boardman's  personal 
reminiscences.     They  embraced  sketches  of  the  early 


INTRODUCTION  jx. 

settlers;  of  the  mills  and  shipping  on  the  St.  Croix;  of 
the  churches,  schools,  merchants  and  professional  men ; 
of  the  leading  families  and  of  the  industries  of  the  two 
cities.  Although  not  sufficiently  elaborate  to  be  called 
history  they  form  a  most  important  contribution  to  his- 
tory and  must  always  be  regarded  when  material  for 
Calais  and  St.  Stephen  local  history  and  biography  is 
being  collected.  It  was  the  original  intention  to  repub- 
lish them  in  the  present  volume  but  the  idea  was  aban- 
doned as  one  carrying  the  book  far  beyond  its  reasonable 
size.  It  became  a  question  of  including  the  historical 
sketches  and  excluding  the  rich  correspondence  or  vice 
versa.  To  have  included  the  sketches  would  have  been 
gratifying  to  people  in  those  two  cities,  although  scien- 
tific readers  would  have  regarded  them  of  but  little  value. 
As  the  work  progressed  and  became  more  especially  a 
scientific  memoir,  it  was  deemed  best  to  sacrifice  the 
historical  chapters  for  the  sake  of  the  letters  to  and  from 
Mr.  Boardman  and  his  naturalist  friends.  In  his  quiet 
life ;  in  his  love  for  home  and  the  locality  in  which  he 
lived ;  in  his  devotion  to  natural  history  and  his  interest 
in  the  antiquities,  history  and  people  of  the  St.  Croix, 
Mr.  Boardman  was  a  genuine  type  of  the  naturalist  of 
Selborne,  and  would  have  felt  more  satisfied  to  have 
been  called  the  Gilbert  White  of  Maine  than  that  of 
any  other  title. 

It  only  remains  for  me  to  express  my  obligations  to 
those  who  have  assisted  me  in  the  preparation  of  this 
work  and  to  whom  I  wish  to  return  my  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments : 

First  of  all  my  thanks  are  due  to  the  sons  of  George 
A.  Boardman  whose  liberality  has  made  possible  the 


X. 


INTRODUCTION 


preparation  of  this  memoir.  They  have  not  only  borne 
the  entire  expense  of  its  publication  but  have  assisted 
me  in  many  ways  —  given  many  suggestions,  furnished 
numerous  facts  and  also  assisted  me  in  obtaining  much 
necessary  information.  They  have  greatly  deferred  to 
my  judgment  and  seconded  my  every  wish  for  making 
the  volume  the  creditable  work  which  it  is  hoped  it  will 
be  found.  To  Mrs.  J.  Clark  Taylor,  Calais,  Maine,  the 
only  daughter  of  Mr.  Boardman,  for  the  loan  of  the 
entire  mass  of  his  correspondence  with  naturalists,  with- 
out which  the  preparation  of  this  volume  in  its  present 
form  would  have  been  impossible.  To  Prof.  S.  P.  Lang- 
ley,  secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  for  the  loan  of  the  collection  of  letters  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  Boardman  to  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird,  now  in  the 
custody  of  the  Institution;  for  the  loan  of  the  plate  of 
portrait  of  Prof.  Baird,  as  well  as  for  many  dates  and  facts 
and  the  kindly  answer  of  numerous  letters  of  inquiry. 
To  Lewis  Sperry,  Esq.,  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Ellsworth  Wood,  East  Windsor  Hill,  Conn.,  for  the 
use  of  Mr.  Boardman's  letters  to  Dr.  William  Wood  ; 
for  the  memoir  and  portrait  of  Dr.  Wood  and  for  other 
important  material.  To  Hon.  P.  W.  Flewelling,  of  the 
Crown  Lands  Department,  Fredericton,  N.  B.,  for  much 
information  relating  to  the  transfer  of  the  Boardman  col- 
lection of  ornithology  to  the  Provincial  government  of 
New  Brunswick  and  for  personal  interest  in  the  work. 
To  Robert  Ridgway,  curator  of  birds  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  to  J.  A.  Allen  of  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Central  Park, 
New  York,  and  to  Charles  Hallock,  Plainfield,  Mass., 
for  the  use  of  letters  of  Mr.  Boardman  and  to  the  latter 


INTRODUCTION  xi. 

gentleman  for  permission  to  reprint  from  his  volume, 
Camp  Life  in  Florida,  the  chapter  contributed  to  that 
work  by  Mr.  Boardman.  To  Prof.  I,eslie  A.  L,ee,  Bow- 
doin  College,  Brunswick,  Maine,  for  collating  the  vol- 
umes of  the  American  Naturalist.  To  Charles  G.  Atkins, 
superintendent  of  the  Government  Fish-hatching  Station 
at  Green  L,ake,  East  Orland,  Maine  and  to  his  sister, 
Miss  Helen  Atkins,  for  collating  the  volumes  of  Forest 
and  Stream.  To  Prof.  Ora  W.  Knight,  ex-President  of 
Maine  Ornithological  Union,  Bangor,  Maine,  for  his 
interest  in  the  work  and  for  revising  the  list  of  St.  Croix 
Birds  to  make  it  conform  to  the  present  scientific  nomen- 
clature. To  the  Forest  and  Stream  Publishing  Company, 
New  York,  for  the  use  of  the  plate  of  portrait  of  Charles 
Hallock.  Finally,  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  assistance 
I  have  received  from  my  wife,  Mrs.  Alma  Staples  Board- 
man.  She  has  not  only  corrected  the  MS.  but  has  col- 
lated and  revised  the  scientific  lists,  read  all  the  proofs, 
revised  and  re-revised  the  page  proofs,  made  the  index 
and  had  oversight  of  the  typographical  work  involved, 
without  which  the  volume  could  not  have  presented  that 
freedom  from  errors  which  it  is  believed  now  character- 
izes it. 

Bangor,  Maine,  June  12,  1903. 


CONTENTS 


Dedication Page  v. 

Introduction "  vii. 

Chapter  Page 

I.  Boardman  Family  Ancestry 3 

II.  Valley  of  the  St.  Croix 11 

III.  Business  and  Domestic  Life 16 

IV.  Life  Becord  of  a  Naturalist 31 

V.     Closing  Years  at  Calais 86 

VI.    The  Boardman  Collection 98 

VII.    Some  Scientific  Results 110 

VIII.    Personal  Characteristics 130 

IX.    Appreciations  and  Honors 142 

X.    Correspondence  with  Naturalists 152 

XL    Scientific  Lists 298 

XII.    Natural  History  Sketches 323 

Index 350 


LIST  OF  PLATES 


Portrait  of  George  A.  Boardman Frontispiece 

Page 

Portrait  of  George  A.  Boardman 16 

Residence  of  Mr.  Boardman  at  Milltown,  N.  B 23 

View  from  the  Garden  at  Milltown,  N.  B 24 

Facsimile  of  Letter  of  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird      68 

Portrait  of  George  A.  Boardman 86 

Last  Residence  of  George  A.  Boardman 88 

Portrait  of  George  A.  Boardman 95 

Boardman  Family  Monument 97 

Interior  of  Bird  Museum  at  Calais 98 

Interior  of  Bird  Museum  at  Calais 101 

Interior  of  Bird  Museum  at  Calais 105 

Plan  of  Boardman  Boom 106 

Parliament  House,  Fredericton,  N.  B 109 

Group  of  Bear  Cubs 127 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  George  A.  Boardman 132 

Portrait  of  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird 154 

Facsimile  of  Letter  of  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird 160 

Bird  Museum  at  Calais 185 

Portrait  of  Dr.  William  Wood 213 

Portrait  of  Henry  E.  Dresser 249 

Facsimile  of  Letter  of  Henry  E.  Dresser 262 

Facsimile  of  Letter  of  George  A.  Boardman 272 

Portrait  of  Charles  Ilallock 281 

Facsimile  of  Letter  of  P.  L.  Sclater 293 


THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 


THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 


CHAPTER  I 


BOARDMAN  FAMILY  ANCESTRY 


THE  family  name  of  Boardman  is  one  of  much 
antiquity.  Early  forms  of  the  name  as  found  in 
records  of  both  England  and  America  are  Boreman, 
Borman,  Boarman,  Burman,  Burdman,  Bodman,  Boord- 
man  and  Bordman.  The  family  originated  in  Oxford- 
shire, England,  where  the  first  of  the  name,  William 
Boreman,  was  living  as  early  as  1525,  in  Banbury,  in 
that  county.  He  had  a  son  Thomas,  called  "the  elder," 
who  was  living  at  Claydon,  near  Banbury,  in  1546, 
whose  wife's  name  was  Isabelle.  He  died  at  Claydon  in 
1579.  Thomas  had  a  son  William  who  was  married, 
but  whose  wife  died  about  five  years  before  her  husband 
—  her  death  having  occurred  in  1608  and  that  of  her 
husband  in  1613.  Their  son  Thomas  —  called  in  the 
records  "the  younger"  —  was  baptized  at  Claydon, 
October  18,  1601.  He  was  the  first  of  the  name  in  New 
England.  The  earliest  tax  list  of  the  Colony  of  New 
Plymouth  that  has  ever  been  found,  bearing  date  January 
2,  1632-33,  contains  his  name. 


4      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

In  the  Old  Colony  records  of  1643,  in  a  list  of  all  the 
males  of  New  Plymouth  Colony,  "able  to  beare  armes 
from  xvi  years  old  to  60  years,"  the  name  of  Thomas 
Boreman  also  appears.  He  is  there  put  down  as  a  resi- 
dent of  Barnstable,  Mass.  Savage,  in  the  Genealogical 
Dictionary  of  First  Settlers  of  New  England,  says  he 
was  made  a  freeman  March  4,  1635.  He  first  appears 
on  the  records  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1637.  He  was  a 
cooper  and  carpenter  by  trade.  The  late  Joseph  B. 
Felt,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  accurate  antiquarians 
in  New  England,  says  he  was  first  at  Ipswich,  that  he 
moved  from  Ipswich  to  Barnstable  but  returned  to 
Ipswich  again.  In  his  history  of  Ipswich  Mr.  Felt 
records  that  he  died  in  that  town  in  1673  at  an  advanced 
age.  His  wife's  name  was  Margaret.  Some  accounts 
say  she  died  in  November,  1679  ;  but  Mr.  Felt  gives  her 
death  as  having  taken  place  in  1680.  Thomas  Bore- 
man's  estate  was  valued  at  his  death  at  ,£523  6s.  6d. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  give  here  the  remarks  of  that 
learned  antiquary,  the  late  Rev.  Eucius  R.  Page  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  explanation  of  the  different  ways 
of  spelling  what  is  evidently  the  same  name  as  found 
upon  early  New  England  colonial  records,  as  a  help  to 
the  understanding  of  the  different  forms  of  spelling  the 
name  Boardman  as  given  at  the  beginning  of  this  chap- 
ter. This  author  says :  "  It  is  not  surprising  that  many 
of  these  names  are  incorrectly  spelled.  They  are  not 
autographs,  but  were  written  by  the  secretary  or  clerk 
according  to  the  sound  as  the  names  were  spoken  to 
him.  Moreover,  it  no  doubt  often  occurred  that  the 
clerk  did  not  catch  the  sound  accurately  and  therefore 
mistook  the  true  name."     As  many  of  the  early  settlers 


BOARDMAN  FAMILY  ANCESTRY  5 

to  New  England  were  unlettered  men,  could  not  write, 
perhaps  could  not  spell,  they  gave  their  names  to  the 
town  officers  as  they  were  accustomed  to  be  called,  hence 
the  various  ways  of  spelling  what  is  the  same  name, 
which  appear  upon  the  early  records. 

Thomas  Boreman,  eldest  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret, 
was  born  in  1643  and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Sargent  Jacob  Perkins,  January  1,  1667-68.  She  was 
born  April  1,  1650.  This  Thomas  Boreman  died  Octo- 
ber 3,  1719,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year  and  his  wife  died 
December  4,  1718,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  eight  months 
and  three  days. 

Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Boreman  had  a  son  Offin  who 
was  born  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  December  3,  1676  and 
married  Sarah  Hurd,  February  28, 1698.  Their  son  Offin 
was  born  December  16,  1698  and  married  Sarah  Wood- 
man, January  17,  1722.  He  was  master  of  a  vessel  that, 
according  to  the  records,  "was  overset"  September  8, 
1735,  on  a  passage  from  Casco  Bay  to  Boston  and  himself 
and  twelve  others  were  drowned.  His  wife  died  July 
12,  1752. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  Savage,  in  his  Genea- 
logical Dictionaty  of  First  Settlers  of  New  England,  says 
that  "after  1720  the  early  name  of  Boreman  became 
permanently  changed  to  Bordman  and  Boardman." 

Jonathan,  son  of  Offin  and  Sarah  (Woodman)  Board- 
man,  was  born  March  15,  1735  and  married  Rebecca 
Mood}',  November  12,  1761.  They  had  a  son  William 
who  married  Mary  Short,  September  19,  1786.  He  was 
master  of  a  vessel  and  was  lost  at  sea.  Two  letters  written 
by  William  Boardman  to  his  father  are  in  possession  of  a 
member  of  the  family.      The  first  is  dated  St.    Eucia, 


6     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

January  10,  1793  and  the  second  at  Wilmington,  March 
10,  1793.  Both  letters  are  interesting  and  indicate  the 
greatest  respect  for  his  father  and  devotion  to  his 
interests. 

In  the  first  letter  he  writes :  ' '  The  30th  of  December 
I  arrived  at  Point  Petre  Saw  Brother  Chase.  Markets 
Would  Not  Due  from  there  I  went  to  St  Peires  from 
There  to  St  Eucia  And  have  Sold  here.  Dumber  at  15 
Dolars  Beff  at  8  Dollars  Shingles  at  1£  Dolars  Mackrell 
at  4  Dollars.  To  Be  payd  one  Third  part  in  Cash 
The  Other  Two  Thirds  in  Sugar  Coffee  Coaco  Cotton 
At  cash  price.  Sir  I  had  Acounts  from  St  Astaita 
Eumber  Will  not  Answer  there.  Sir  I  expect  to  Sail  by 
the  10  of  february.  If  Any  Thing  Should  happen  That 
I  Should  Be  Detained  any  Eonger  I  Shall  prosead  to 
Newbury  port.  If  not  I  Shall  go  to  Willmington.  I 
had  Very  bad  Weather  on  my  pasage  the  11  Decembr 
Scut  Under  2  Rt  forsail  had  my  Quarter  Boards  Nock 
away  my  Chimney  Nockd  Down  And  my  Dumber  Shifted 
16  Inches  Of  Water  for  2  Hours  in  The  Hold  By  Baging 
the  pump  Boxes  We  freed  her  And  fortingly  Saved  our 
Deck  Eoad  I  Shall  Due  the  Best  I  Can  for  your  Intrist  — 
So  Conclude  Remaining  your  Eoving  Son."  He  then 
adds  this  P.  S:  "We  are  all  Well  I  have  Eanded  my 
Deck  Eoad  I  have  Sold  to  Mr  Nervear  and  Company 
By  What  I  Can  hear  they  are  Good  men."  This  letter 
was  directed  to  "Capt  Jonathan  Boardman  in  Newbury 
Port  by  favour  of  capt  Spitfield." 

The  second  letter  is  as  follows  :  "Eoving  Sir  I  Write 
to  let  you  now  that  after  a  passage  of  13  Days  I  arrived 
here  my  Westingss  Goods  are  not  Wanted  here  Dumber 
and  Navill  Stores  are  too  hy  for  me  to  purchas  Atpresant 


BOARDMAN  FAMILY  ANCESTRY  7 

I  Cannot  Git  no  freight  here  for  no  plase.  If  nothing 
Offers  Before  to  Morrow  Noon  I  must  Leave  or  Enter 
my  Vesell.  I  Rather  think  I  Shall  Leave  this  port  and 
prosede  for  Newbury  Port.  Sir  I  now  I  Shall  make  a 
Bad  Voiage  If  I  come  home  and  I  Shall  make  a  Worse 
If  I  Stay  here  and  It  is  one  half  to  own  it  Sir  I  have 
Wrote  to  you  By  Capt  Hollon  and  Capt.  Yong  of  Port- 
land Before  Sir  So  have  nothing  New  to  Inform  you  of 
more  at  Present  Remember  me  to  my  Wife  and  the  family 
And  all  Inquirings  friends  I  Remain  your  Dutifull  Son 
William  Boardman." 

This  is  the  last  that  was  ever  heard  of  Capt.  William 
Boardman,  his  vessel  and  all  on  board  having  been  lost 
at  sea  while  on  the  passage  from  Wilmington,  N.  C,  to 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  in  the  spring  of  1793.  Mary,  the 
wife  of  William  Boardman,  died  April  27,  1847. 

William,  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Short)  Board- 
man,  was  born  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  May  30,  1789 
and  married  Esther  W.  Toppan  March  12,  1815.  She 
was  born  June  28,  1793  and  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
Toppan  who  descended  from  Abraham  Toppan  who 
settled  in  Newburyport  as  early  as  1637.  Mr.  Board- 
man  was  in  business  in  Newburyport  for  a  few  years  and 
moved  to  Portland  in  1820.  In  1824  he  moved  from 
Portland  to  Calais  where  he  engaged  in  trade,  bringing 
his  family  in  1828.  Mr.  Boardman  was  a  Mason  and 
was  treasurer  of  St.  Croix  lodge,  Calais,  on  its  organiza- 
tion in  1844.  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman,  writing  in  one 
of  his  delightful  autobiographical  sketches  printed  in 
the  St.  Croix  Courier,  tells  of  the  anti-Masonic  "mania," 
as  he  terms  it,  which  prevailed  in  the  early  '30's  and 
says:    "So  intense  was  the  feeling  at  one  time   that 


8      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

bloodshed  was  feared  and  the  lodges  ceased  to  hold 
meetings.  From  what  I  heard  and  read  I  should  have 
thought  all  the  Masons  should  have  been  hanged  if  my 
father  had  not  been  a  Mason.  But  my  father  told  me 
the  institution  was  a  good  one  and  friendly  to  the  best 
interests  of  humanity ;  that  bad  men  sometimes  join  the 
fraternity  as  unworthy  men  sometimes  join  the  churches, 
but  the  influence  of  the  lodge  was  for  good  and  good 
only.  Ever  since  then  I  have  had  great  respect  for  the 
order."  This  incident  shows  the  influence  of  a  good 
man's  life  upon  character.  William  Boardman  was  a 
good  man ;  his  son  believed  in  him  and  his  good  char- 
acter influenced  that  of  the  son  to  honor  and  respect  not 
only  the  man,  but  any  institution  to  which  he  belonged 
and  endorsed.  William  Boardman  joined  the  first  tem- 
perance society  which  was  organized  in  Calais,  May  12, 
1828  —  the  very  year  in  which  he  brought  his  family  to 
that  town. 

The  children  of  William  and  Esther  (Toppan)  Board- 
man  were  Adeline  who  married  F.  H.  Todd;  William 
H.;  George  A.;  Caroline  M.,  who  married  Charles 
Hay  den  of  Eastport ;  Anna  L,.,  who  married  Henry  F. 
Eaton;  Gorham,  who  resides  in  New  York;  Mary  E., 
who  married  Rev.  Henry  V.  Dexter,  and  Emily  who 
married  Elwell  Eowell  and  resides  in  Calais.  William 
Boardman  died  July  2,  1866 ;  his  wife  Esther  died  May 
31,  1877.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Boardman,  the  following 
notice  appeared  in  the  St.  Croix  Courier  and  was  repub- 
lished in  the  Newburyport  Herald  of  July  17,  1866: 

' '  Perhaps  no  one  has  more  generally  endeared  himself 
to  the  whole  community  than  he,  by  his  obliging  quali- 
ties of  character,  his  amiable  and  cheerful  disposition, 


BOARDMAN  FAMILY  ANCESTRY  9 

his  gentle  and  courteous  manners.  With  a  keen  insight 
into  human  nature,  he  was  yet  so  full  of  love  and  charity 
that  no  one  living  can  remember  of  him  an  unjust  or  an 
unkind  word.  All,  even  the  little  child,  were  made 
happier  and  better  by  his  loving,  cheerful  presence.  To 
his  large  family  his  loss  will  be  very  great ;  for  his  life 
to  them  has  been  a  continual  benediction.  The  same 
smile,  the  warm  grasp  of  the  hand,  the  loving  words  of 
welcome  were  never  forgotten  until  strength  and  memory 
failed.  Blessed  beyond  words  has  his  pure  life  been  to 
them.  May  the  mantle  of  his  charity  and  cheerful  faith 
enwrap  them  all  as  they  leave  him  in  repose  and  again 
mingle  in  the  turmoil  of  life." 

Before  closing  this  chapter  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
mention  —  although  this  memoir  is  in  no  sense  a  genea- 
logical history  of  the  family — that  Savage  says  that 
Daniel  Bordman  who  was  married  at  Ipswich,  Mass., 
April  12,  1662,  "was  a  brother  of  Thomas  called  Bore- 
man  ;  and  also  Samuel  Boreman  (Borman,  Boardman) 
who  was  at  Ipswich  in  1639  and  who  went  to  Weathers- 
field,  Conn.,  in  1642  and  founded  the  Connecticut  family 
of  Boardmans,  who  was  a  brother  of  Thomas,  who  settled 
in  Ipswich  in  1634."  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  memoir 
only  to  bring  down  the  family  branch  from  which  the 
naturalist  of  the  St.  Croix  descended,  but  the  above  is 
mentioned  as  an  interesting  fact  in  the  family  history. 

The  parents  of  George  A.  Boardman  lived  to  celebrate 
their  golden  wedding  as  did  his  brother  William,  who 
married  Mary  Quincy,  who  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  August  5,  1890.  His  sister  Anna  and  husband, 
Henry  F.  Eaton,  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  October 
17,  1892  and  Mr.  Boardman  celebrated  his  December  19, 


10    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

1893.  His  brother  Gorham  and  wife,  Mary  L.  Lord, 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  October  23,  1901.  This 
record  shows  that  father  and  mother  and  four  of  their 
children  lived  to  observe  their  golden  weddings.  This 
is  a  somewhat  remarkable  record  for  longevity  in  one 
family  —  a  family  remarkable  for  devotion  and  love  to  their 
own  kindred,  for  interest  in  humanity  and  in  all  agencies 
and  efforts  making  for  the  common  good. 


CHAPTER  II 


VALLEY  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 


THE  St.  Croix  river  —  the  natural  valley  of  which 
Mr.  Boardman  did  so  much  to  develop,  in  which 
his  great  business  abilities  were  so  long  employed  for 
its  advantage  and  the  fauna  of  which  he  made  so  well 
known  to  the  scientific  world  —  forms  the  boundary 
between  the  province  of  New  Brunswick,  Dominion  of 
Canada  and  the  United  States,  from  a  point  just  south 
of  latitude  46  degrees  north  to  the  bay  of  Fundy  into 
which  its  waters  discharge.  At  Quoddy  Head  the 
United  States  reaches  its  farthest  eastern  limit  and  the 
St.  Croix  system  is  the  most  southeastern  river  system 
in  the  State  of  Maine.  The  area  drained  by  the  river 
St.  Croix  and  its  affluent  lake  systems  is  70  miles  long 
by  50  miles  broad,  having  a  total  surface  of  1175  square 
miles,  800  of  which  are  in  the  State  of  Maine  and  375 
are  in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick.  The  St.  Croix 
is  formed  by  two  branches,  the  lower  of  which  receives 
the  waters  of  the  Grand  lakes  and  the  upper  of  which 
receives  those  of  the  Schoodic  lakes  —  the  connecting 
rivers  being  wide  and  voluminous.  In  the  St.  Croix 
system  are  183  streams  and  61  lakes  represented  upon 


12    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  state  map  —  eleven  of  the  lakes  and  ponds  being 
located  in  New  Brunswick.  The  Indian  name  Schoodic, 
which  denotes  in  the  native  tongue  "low,  swampy 
ground"  is  applied  to  the  St.  Croix  in  general,  includ- 
ing its  chains  of  lakes  and  streams.  The  entire  system 
of  rivers,  streams  and  lakes  forming  the  St.  Croix  is,  in 
fact,  an  attenuated  combination  of  the  lakes ;  while 
by  some  the  St.  Croix  has  been  termed  "a  lake  in 
motion." 

For  about  ten  miles  above  tide  water  at  Calais  the 
river  has  an  average  width  of  500  feet ;  its  annual  dis- 
charge is  estimated  at  44, 800, 000, 000  cubic  feet;  the  aver- 
age fall  to  tide  water  is  about  300  feet,  or  6.5  to  the  mile 
and  the  land  bordering  the  river  and  its  tributaries  is  to 
a  large  extent  low,  preventing  excessive  rises  upon  the 
river  itself  —  conditions  which,  according  to  the  report 
on  the  Hydrographic  Survey  of  the  State,  ' '  places  the  St. 
Croix  at  once  and  without  controversy  in  the  foremost 
position  of  the  large  rivers  of  Maine  as  a  manufacturing 
stream."  The  same  authority,  in  1869,  says  that  "four- 
fifths  of  the  basin  area  of  the  St.  Croix  are  covered  with 
forests  which  consist  largely  of  heavy,  valuable  timber." 

A  region  of  country  possessing  so  many  natural  advan- 
tages for  business  early  attracted  the  attention  of  set- 
tlers. The  forests  of  beautiful  timber  were  waiting  to 
be  transformed  into  merchantable  lumber;  the  numer- 
ous falls  invited  the  erection  of  dams  and  the  building 
of  mills,  while  tide- water  at  the  upper  arm  of  Passama- 
quoddy  bay,  which  has  a  rise  and  fall  at  Calais  and  St. 
Stephen  of  twenty-five  feet,  making  the  river  navigable 
twice  every  twenty- four  hours  for  the  largest  vessels, 
brought  these  crafts  there  from  many  parts  of  the  world  for 


VALLEY  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX  13 

the  products  of  the  forests.  Fish  and  game  abounded  and 
the  forests  and  waters  were  alive  with  singing  birds,  game 
birds  and  water  fowl.  St.  Stephen,  N.  B.,  opposite 
Calais,  Maine,  was  settled  between  1776  and  1779  ;  while 
in  1780  a  settlement  wras  made  in  the  southern  part  of 
Calais.  Some  years  previous  to  the  above  dates  white 
men  had  located  on  the  river,  but  it  is  probable  that  the 
first  permanent  settlements  were  made  in  the  above  years. 

Among  the  first  things  these  early  settlers  did  was  to 
build  saw  mills  and  lumbering  soon  became  the  most 
important  industry.  As  early  as  1790  a  saw  mill  called 
the  "brisk  mill"  was  built  by  Peter  Christie,  Abner 
Hill  and  others.  This  was  built  at  what  is  now  called 
Milltown.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  lumber  of 
which  the  old  state  house  in  Boston  was  built  was  sawn 
in  this  "brisk  mill"  and  shipped  from  the  St.  Croix  in 
1795.  A  large  business  was  also  done  at  these  early 
mills  in  getting  out  masts  and  ton  or  square  timber  for 
the  English  market  and  for  the  West  India  trade.  The 
entire  river  on  both  the  English  and  American  sides  was 
lively  with  saw  mills  and  there  were  no  less  than  twenty- 
five  firms  engaged  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  and 
shipping  lumber ;  among  them  the  great  names  of  Chris- 
tie, Hill,  Todd,  McAllister,  McAdam,  Eaton,  Boardman 
and  Murchie  take  high  rank.  Indeed,  no  more  remark- 
able group  of  business  men  have  been  produced  in  any 
section  of  the  provinces  or  the  states  than  those  who  rose 
to  affluence  and  power  by  virtue  of  their  ability  in  devel- 
oping and  gaining  control  of  the  vast  lumbering  inter- 
ests of  the  St.  Croix  valley  during  the  last  half  century. 

St.  Stephen,  N.  B.,  and  Calais,  U.  S.  A.,  lie  on  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  St.  Croix  at  "salt  water"  or  the  head  of 


14     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

navigation.  Two  miles  up  the  river  on  the  English  side 
is  the  town  of  Milltown,  parish  of  St.  Stephen;  while 
opposite  on  the  American  side  is  Milltown- Calais.  On 
either  side  there  is  an  almost  continuous  settlement  the 
entire  distance,  while  about  midway  is  a  bridge  across 
the  river  and  a  number  of  mills  which  place  is  called  the 
Union.  The  drive  from  Calais  to  Milltown  on  the  Amer- 
ican side  and  down  to  St.  Stephen  on  the  English  side, 
or  a  ride  by  the  well-managed  trolley  line  of  street  cars 
is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  interesting  in  any 
part  of  the  states  or  the  provinces.  The  cities  are  busy, 
the  wharves  piled  with  lumber,  the  harbor  gay  with  ves- 
sels bearing  the  flags  of  two  nations,  while  the  lumber 
mills,  the  big  cotton  mill,  the  Washington  County  rail- 
road and  the  belt  line  railroad  connecting  the  Canadian 
Pacific  railway  with  the  former  road  give  evidence  of 
business  prosperity  and  general  content  unsurpassed  by 
almost  any  section  of  the  country.  The  scenery  is  beau- 
tiful, there  are  fine  residences  all  along  the  river  banks, 
while  the  people  of  the  two  nations  are  really  one.  In 
business  interests,  social  relations  and  all  that  makes  for 
the  public  good,  the  residents  of  the  two  nations  have  a 
unity  of  spirit  and  interest  that  is  indeed  most  friendly 
and  serviceable. 

It  was  in  this  beautiful  and  favored  section  where  Mr. 
Boardman  began  his  business  life  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years.  During  his  active  business  career  and  his  long 
life  as  a  private  gentleman  of  wealth,  public  spirit,  culti- 
vated tastes  and  leisure,  he  became  closely  identified 
with  the  two  communities  in  all  their  business,  educa- 
tional, religious  and  social  interests.  He  loved  the 
place   and   the  people.      He   had  studied  them,   lived 


VALLEY  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX.  15 

among  them  and  became  a  large  part  of  them.  He  saw 
the  towns  become  cities  ;  he  planned  and  carried  for- 
ward large  enterprises ;  he  made  his  home  in  the  beauti- 
ful valley  and  gave  great  study  to  its  flora  and  its  fauna. 
He  knew  the  trees,  the  flowers,  the  song  and  game 
birds,  the  animals,  the  fishes.  He  numbered  his  friends 
at  home  by  the  populations  of  the  towns  in  which  he 
lived,  while  his  correspondents  were  among  the  greatest 
scientists  of  the  time.  He  spent  here  a  long,  joyous, 
active  and  successful  life.  It  was  the  dearest  spot  of  all 
the  earth  to  him  and  his  life  was  devoted  to  making  it 
dearer  and  happier  to  those  whom  he  loved. 


CHAPTER  HI 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  EIFE 


GKORGE  AUGUSTUS  BOARDMAN,  son  of 
William  and  Esther  (Toppan)  Boardman,  was 
born  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  February  5,  1818  and  came 
to  Calais  with  his  parents  in  1828.  All  the  education  he 
ever  received  was  the  little  in  his  early  childhood  and 
that  obtained  during  the  scanty  terms  of  a  Maine  country 
school  at  that  early  date  between  the  age  of  ten  and  thir- 
teen years,  with  one  term  at  Newburyport.  After  the 
family  had  settled  in  Calais  he  went  back  to  the  place 
of  their  former  home  where  he  attended  school  during 
one  winter,  making  his  home  with  members  of  his 
mother's  family.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  left 
school  to  go  to  work  and  after  that  never  had  but  one 
term  at  school  nor  did  he  take  a  course  of  study  in  any 
branch  of  education.  At  that  time  he  engaged  as  clerk 
for  Mr.  Hemy  Hoyt  with  whom  he  remained  a  year.  He 
was  faithful  and  worked  constantly  for  the  interests  of 
his  employer.  This  was  one  of  the  earliest  characteristics 
developed  in  the  business  career  of  the  young  man. 
After  this  first  year  of  work  he  went  into  the  store  of  Mr. 
B.  F.  Waite,  one  of  the  early  merchants  of  Calais  and 


GEORGE  A.  BOARDMAN 


At  the  Age  of  about  Thirty-six  years 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  UFE  17 

an  extensive  lumberman,  as  a  clerk,  where  he  remained 
for  a  period  of  five  3^ears. 

In  an  article  describing  early  days  on  the  St.  Croix, 
written  after  Mr.  Boardman  had  retired  from  business, 
in  which  he  describes  the  ways  of  the  people  and  the 
domestic  customs  of  the  times,  he  says :  ' '  The  writer 
was  'put  to  a  store'  in  1832  to  learn  the  business.  The 
most  of  the  business  was  to  sell  liquor.  The  West 
India  rum  was  brought  in  hogsheads  and  I  was  ordered 
to  draw  off  one-third  the  hogshead  and  fill  it  up  with 
water.  The  New  England  rum  was  treated  about  the 
same  way."  He  then  gives  an  account  of  the  early 
temperance  reform,  telling  of  a  public  meeting  at  which 
Mr.  William  Todd,  Jr.,  had  made  a  speech  closing  with 
the  words  :  "I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  pledge  myself 
to  sell  or  use  no  more  liquor  and  to  use  my  influence  to 
drive  it  out  of  the  place  and  the  world.  Now  who  will 
join  me  and  do  likewise  ?  ' ' 

The  account  then  continues:  "Mr.  B.  F.  Waite, 
who,  in  the  last  year,  had  retailed  twenty-three  hogs- 
heads of  West  India  rum  said :  '  I  will  go  with  you  and 
sign  that  pledge.'  "  In  another  article  written  in  after 
life,  in  which  he  says  that  it  had  been  his  study  to  mark 
boys  who  had  started  in  any  grade  of  life  to  see  how 
they  had  developed  and  what  success  they  had  reached, 
he  said :  "  If  a  boy  does  not  follow  the  right  path  before 
he  is  of  age,  it  is  not  likely  he  will  ever  travel  therein. 
Every  boy  over  ten  or  twelve  years  old  is  either  making 
or  losing  money  every  day,  whether  he  is  receiving  any 
cash  payment  or  not."  Following  this  with  the  words, 
"let  me  explain,"  Mr.  Boardman  then  gives  this  most 
interesting  account  of  his  own  early  life  : 


18    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

"  I  knew  a  boy,  son  of  a  poor  man,  who  was  faithful 
to  his  parents  and  did  every  task  given  him.  When  but 
thirteen  years  old  a  nearby  merchant  asked  him  if  he 
would  not  like  to  come  to  his  store  as  clerk,  saying, 
'  I  have  been  watching  3rou  for  a  year  or  two  and  think 
you  would  suit  me.'  He  was  engaged  for  a  year  which 
he  served  out  faithfully.  Another  merchant  had  been 
watching  this  boy  of  fourteen  years  and  engaged  him  in 
his  employ,  where  he  remained  for  five  years  at  high 
wages.  About  this  time  a  neighboring  merchant,  whose 
partner  had  retired,  told  this  young  man  that  he  had 
been  watching  him  for  five  years  and  if  he  could  be 
spared  by  his  present  employer  he  would  give  him  a 
good  chance  and  perhaps  make  him  a  partner  in  his 
business  as  soon  as  he  became  of  age.  This  was  arranged 
and  the  next  year,  1839,  whenhe  became  twenty- one  years 
old,  he  was  made  a  partner  in  the  best  and  largest  lumber 
concern  on  the  St.  Croix  river."  Then,  as  was  Mr. 
Boardman's  way  in  all  his  entertaining  writings,  he 
enforced  the  moral  of  this  incident  by  saying :  ' '  Did  not 
this  boy  make  money  every  day  when  the  rich  men  were 
watching  him  ?  His  faithfulness  to  little  things  —  to  all 
things  that  came  in  his  way  —  was  what  made  a  fortune 
for  him,  as  it  would  for  any  other  boy  who  acted  similarly. 
Somebody  will  tell  other  somebodies,  until  the  boy's 
character  is  known  as  far  as  he  is  known." 

Such  is  a  true  picture  of  the  starting  in  business  life 
of  George  A.  Boardman,  from  his  own  pen.  The  man 
who  had  watched  the  boy  so  closely  and  taken  so  deep 
an  interest  in  him  on  account  of  his  faithfulness  to  his 
employer's  interests  was  Mr.  William  Todd,  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  and  business  men  on  the  St.  Croix  river. 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  19 

Mr.  Todd  was  born  in  North  Yarmouth,  Maine,  July  10, 
1803,  his  father,  Mr.  William  Todd,  having  been  a 
native  of  Goffstown,  N.  H.  The  family  came  to  St. 
Stephen  in  1811  and,  in  early  manhood,  Mr.  William 
Todd  entered  upon  a  business  career  in  Milltown  which 
he  followed  with  great  success  for  many  years.  He  was 
chiefly  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  exportation  of 
lumber,  but  was  active  in  every  movement  and  enter- 
prise that  had  for  its  object  the  development  and  pros- 
perity of  the  country  in  which  his  home  and  business 
were  located. 

After  the  relinquishment  of  his  business  to  his  suc- 
cessors Mr.  Todd  largely  gave  his  attention  and  money 
to  the  promotion  of  enterprises  for  the  building  up  of  the 
town.  He  was  one  of  the  first  promoters  of  a  railroad  in 
the  St.  Croix  valley;  was  for  many  years  president  of 
the  St.  Croix  and  Penobscot  railroad  company,  the  first 
president  of  the  St.  Stephen  branch  railroad  company 
and  a  director  and  president  of  the  St.  Stephen  bank. 
He  was  much  interested  in  Provincial  politics  and  in 
1854  was  appointed  to  a  seat  in  the  Legislative  Council 
of  New  Brunswick  and  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  pro- 
vincial confederation.  Mr.  Todd  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Congregational  church  at  Milltown,  for  many 
years  an  office-bearer  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school.  He  was  also  president  of  the  Bible  society  and 
a  firm  temperance  advocate.  On  August  5,  1873,  Mr. 
Todd  died,  full  of  years  and  of  honors. 

When  Mr.  Todd  said  to  young  George  Boardman, 
after  he  had  been  in  his  employ  for  two  years,  "  I  want 
you  to  go  into  partnership  with  me,"  the  reply  was,  "I 
have  no  money,  I  have  given  my  money  to  my  parents." 


20    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

And  it  is  a  splendid  illustration  of  his  love  and  respect 
for  his  parents,  as  well  as  a  tribute  to  his  habits  of  thrift 
and  economy,  that  previous  to  his  becoming  of  age  he 
had  given  his  father  the  sum  of  $1500.  Mr.  William 
Boardman  had  lost  his  property  in  the  eastern  land  specu- 
lation and  had  a  large  family  to  rear  and  educate. 
Beside  paying  his  own  board  and  expenses  out  of  the 
small  salary  he  had  received — small  at  that  early  time 
in  comparison  with  what  young  men  receive  now — 
young  Boardman  had  saved  and  given  to  his  father 
$1500  of  his  own  earnings  to  help  him  in  his  time  of 
need.  Could  there  be  any  doubt  that  such  a  boy  would 
make  a  successful  business  man,  or  is  it  any  wonder  that 
Mr.  Todd  wanted  him  for  a  partner? 

It  was  a  most  fortunate  and  happy  beginning  in  busi- 
ness life  when  Mr.  Boardman  became  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  William  Todd,  Jr.  &  Company.  This  firm  had 
previously  been  Todd  &  McAllister,  the  members  being 
William  Todd  and  John  II.  McAllister,  the  latter  of 
whom  married  Mr.  Todd's  sister  who  was  Mrs.  Board- 
man's  aunt.  The  other  member  of  the  firm  was  Mr. 
Samuel  Darling  who  had  been  in  Mr.  Todd's  employ 
as  book-keeper.  Mr.  Darling  retired  in  a  few  years  and 
went  into  business  for  himself.  The  firm  of  Todd  & 
Company  was  one  of  the  largest  and  richest  lumber 
firms  on  the  St.  Croix  river. 

On  October  27,  1840,  just  after  he  had  reached  his 
majority,  Mr.  Boardman  became  a  member  of  this  large 
and  wealthy  firm  and  his  future  success  was  at  once 
assured. 

During  the  period  between  the  years  1840  and  1845 
the  firm  had  a  large  and  increasing  business  and  enjoyed 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  21 

great  prosperity.  New  mills  had  been  built,  the  sales 
of  lumber  had  been  extensive  and  prices  were  good.  It 
was  during  the  first  years  of  the  firm  of  William  Todd, 
Jr.  &  Company  that  Mr.  Boardman  induced  his  partner 
to  put  in  the  first  gang  mill  on  the  St.  Croix.  He  had 
heard  of  such  a  mill  near  Bangor,  went  out  to  see  it  and 
induced  the  firm  to  put  one  in  operation.  This  was  at 
the  same  place  as  what  was  afterward  known  as  the 
"big  gang,"  in  the  outside  mill  sold  by  the  C.  F.  Todd 
estate  to  H.  F.  Eaton  &  Sons.  Before  that  all  the  mills 
in  the  Province  were  the  old  fashioned,  slow,  single-saw 
mills  and  the  introduction  of  the  gang  saw  revolutionized 
the  manufacture  of  lumber  on  the  St.  Croix.  In  these 
improvements  and  the  increased  business  Mr.  Boardman 
had  become  an  efficient  factor  in  the  firm's  success. 
Now  was  to  come  another  happy  and  important  event  in 
his  life. 

On  December  19,  1843,*  Mr.  Boardman  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  J.  Hill  and  commenced  house- 
keeping in  a  small  cottage  which  he  had  built  that  year. 
For  the  lot  of  land  upon  which  this  cottage  was  built 
Mr.  Boardman  paid  $700.     It  is  a  small  story  and  a  half 

*Araong  the  papers  found  in  Mr.  Boardman's  collection  of  MSS.  is  the  following  in 
pencil,  apparently  of  a  date  but  a  short  time  previous  to  his  own  decease  :  "  Names  of 
persons  attending  the  Wedding  of  George  A.  Boardman  and  Mary  J.  Hill,  *Dec.  19, 1843, 
at  Milltown,  St.  Stephen  :  Mr.  Johnson  Officiated  ;*  Gorham  Boardman,  Groomsman  ; 
Eliza  Ann  Todd,  Bridesmaid;  Grandfather  and  Grandmother  Todd  ;**  Grandfather  and 
Grandmother  Hill;**  Father  and  Mother  Boardman  ;**  Father  and  Mother  Hill  ;** 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darling;*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dr.  George  ;*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Todd;** 
Aunt  Laura  and  Elizabeth  McAllister  ;**  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  H.  Todd  ;**  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  H.  Boardman;*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Hayden;**  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  F. 
Eaton  ;**  Edwin,  Mary  and  Emily  Boardman  ;  Mrs.  Amanda  Hill  ;*  Alice  Darling  ;* 
Abner,*  Laura  and  Charles  E.  Hill;  Frank,*  Eliza  Ann,*  Hester  and  Ada  Hill; 
Robert  Todd,  Jr;*  Monroe  Hill;*  Mary  Hill  (Tobin);*  Aseneth  Hill  (Atwood)." 
The  asterisks  in  this  note  indicate  the  persons  who  had  died  up  to  the  time  Mr.  Board - 
man  wrote  the  same. 


22     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

house  and  is  still  standing  on  Main  street,  Milltown,  N. 
B.,  though  in  a  somewhat  dilapidated  condition.  This 
house  is  nearly  opposite  the  Congregational  church 
which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  attended  and  into  this 
cottage  they  moved  the  day  of  their  marriage.  Mr. 
Boardman  had  become  a  member  of  this  church  in 
early  life  and  was  constant  and  devoted  in  his  ministra- 
tions upon  its  services. 

Mr.  Boardman,  by  his  own  marriage  and  those  of  his 
sisters,  became  connected  with  most  of  the  prominent 
and  wealthy  families  of  the  St.  Croix  valley.  His  wife 
was  the  grand-daughter  of  Mr.  Abner  Hill,  in  his  time 
the  principal  lumber  manufacturer  on  the  river,  while 
his  sons  Abner,  Daniel  and  Horatio  were  all  at  one  time 
large  lumber  manufacturers  and  merchants.  Another 
brother,  Mr.  George  Stillman  Hill,  was  said  to  be  the 
ablest  member  of  the  Legislative  Council  of  New  Bruns- 
wick—  he  was  a  prominent  lawyer  and  lived  in  St. 
Stephen.  One  of  the  earliest  permanent  settlers  of 
Calais  was  Mr.  Daniel  Hill,  a  relative  of  Mrs.  Board- 
man's  grandfather.  Her  mother  was  a  Todd  and  the 
Todds  were  all  prominent,  able  business  men  and  mer- 
chants. Mr.  William  Todd,  as  has  been  stated,  was 
Mr.  Boardman's  partner  in  business.  Mr.  Freeman  H. 
Todd,  another  brother,  a  man  of  great  ability  and  force, 
who  married  Mr.  Boardman's  oldest  sister  Adeline,  was 
a  very  successful  merchant,  president  of  St.  Stephen 
bank  and  of  the  New  Brunswick  and  Canada  Railway 
Company.  Mr.  Todd  at  his  death,  left  probably  the 
largest  estate  of  any  man  in  the  province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick. Mr.  Boardman's  sister,  Anna  L,.,  married  Mr. 
Henry  F.  Eaton,  respected  for  his  integrity  and  who, 


RESIDENCE  OF  GEORGE  A.  BOARDMAN 
Milltown,  St.  Stephen,  N.  B. 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  23 

by  his  ability  and  close  application  to  business,  left  one 
of  the  largest  estates  ever  probated  in  Maine,  among  the 
assets  being  586,000  acres  in  fee  of  unencumbered  timber 
land.  Mrs.  Boardman  was  born  in  the  old  house  at  the 
foot  of  Todd  mountain,  or  Boardman  mountain  in  Mill- 
town,  N.  B.,  which  house  is  now  standing. 

The  first  store  in  which  Mr.  Boardman's  firms  did 
businesson  Water  street,  Milltown,  N.  B.,isyetstanding, 
with  the  mills  in  the  rear,  next  to  the  river,  but  the  mill 
and  buildings  are  much  decayed  and  are  now  unoccupied. 
There  have  been  many  changes  on  the  river  and  mills 
and  bridges  have  been  carried  away  by  freshets  or 
destroyed  by  fire.  The  last  mill  owned  by  Mr.  Board- 
man  stood  on  what  is  known  as  the  upper  dam,  in  the 
rear  of  the  old  store. 

Mr.  Boardman  remained  in  the  firm  of  William  Todd, 
Jr.  &  Company  until  the  year  1855.  Mr.  Todd's  son, 
Mr.  Charles  Frederick  Todd,  had  graduated  from  Bow- 
doin  college  the  year  previous  and  the  following  year 
Mr.  Todd  transferred  his  interest  to  his  son.  The  firm 
then  became  George  A.  Boardman  &  Company.  As 
soon  as  Mr.  Todd  became  acquainted  with  the  business 
Mr.  Boardman  gradually  gave  the  management  of  the 
firm  to  him.  When  he  began  to  give  less  attention  to  it 
himself  he  paid  the  salary  of  Mr.  Ezra  Malloch  who  had 
been  employed  by  them  for  several  years.  Mr.  Board- 
man  was  then  becoming  greatly  interested  in  the  study 
of  ornithology  and  was  giving  less  attention  to  the  busi- 
ness of  the  firm  than  formerly. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  firm  of  George  A. 
Boardman  &  Company  its  business  increased  greatly 
from  year  to  year.     More  mills  were  erected,  large  tracts 


24    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

of  land  and  timber  were  purchased  and  great  shipments 
of  sawed  lumber  were  made  to  ports  in  the  United  States, 
the  West  Indies,  South  America  and  other  foreign  parts. 
Business  called  him  frequently  to  New  York,  Baltimore, 
Philadelphia,  Boston  and  other  places  at  which  times 
he  made  many  acquaintances  among  business  and  scien- 
tific men.  He  continued  to  reside  in  the  cottage  house 
which  he  built  the  year  of  his  marriage,  until  1860, 
when  he  built  a  new  house  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Church  streets,  Milltown,  N.  B.  This  is  a  two-story 
house  and  its  location  is  very  pleasant.  From  its  lawn 
a  wide  and  beautiful  view  of  the  St.  Croix  valley  is 
obtained,  the  outlook  being  upon  the  American  side  of 
the  river  in  the  state  of  Maine,  directly  opposite  the 
famous  salmon  falls.  As  shown  in  the  accompanying 
plate,  the  view  is  one  across  fine  fields  with  their  neat 
houses  and  beautiful  trees.  Mr.  Boardman  took  great 
delight  in  this  scenery,  the  near  prospect  of  which  was 
interesting  as  it  included  the  pleasure  grounds  of  his 
own  home. 

The  years  spent  in  this  house  were  among  the  best 
and  happiest  of  Mr.  Boardman' s  happy  life.  It  was  here 
that  several  of  his  children  were  born  and  where  they 
developed  to  years  of  young  maturity.  When  at  board- 
ing school  and  college  they  came  home  at  vacations 
bringing  their  college  mates  with  them  the  house  was 
the  scene  of  great  merry-making  and  good  cheer.  It 
was  during  his  residence  here  that  Mr.  Boardman  made 
the  larger  part  of  his  collections  and  where  the  most 
active  years  of  his  business  life  were  passed.  He  gave 
his  time  largely  to  natural  history  study  and  collecting, 
while  Mrs.  Boardman' s  time  was  devoted  to  her  children, 
her  home  and  her  warden. 


VIEW  FROM  THE  GARDEN 
At  Mr.  Boardman's  Milltown  Residence 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  25 

In  Mr.  Boardinan's  marriage  lie  was  most  happy.  No 
more  noble  woman  ever  lived  than  Mrs.  Boardman.  She 
was  a  person  of  great  strength  and  loveliness  of  charac- 
ter, of  fine  presence,  tall  and  commanding  with  a  sweet 
face  and  a  winning  personality  which  drew  to  her  friends 
from  every  station  in  life.  As  one  who  knew  her  inti- 
mately throughout  life  said  :  ' '  She  was  born  an  angel 
and  always  lived  one" — which  is  but  a  just  tribute  to 
her  sweet  disposition  and  beautiful  character.  Her 
entire  life  was  given  up  to  her  family,  her  children  and 
her  home  duties.  She  loved  flowers  and  had  at  this 
Milltown  home  the  finest  and  best  kept  garden  and  col- 
lection of  plants  of  any  one  in  that  section  and  spent 
much  time  in  their  care.  In  all  her  husband's  business 
pursuits  and  nature  studies  she  was  deeply  interested, 
and  after  an  ideal  married  life  of  fifty  years  Mrs.  Board- 
man  passed  away,  leaving  behind  to  husband,  children 
and  friends  the  memory  of  a  loving  and  devoted  wife  and 
mother.  Near  this  house  Mr.  Boardman  owned  large 
fields  of  productive  land  which  extended  back  from  the 
river,  on  which  he  raised  good  crops ;  near  here  his  mills 
were  located,  while  he  was  interested  in  many  of  the 
dams  and  power  privileges  on  the  St.  Croix.  Water  was 
brought  to  the  buildings  and  grounds  from  a  spring  half 
a  mile  distant  and  every  convenience  possible  was  added 
to  them  that  would  make  them  desirable  and  pleasant. 

In  1867  Mr.  Boardman's  eldest  son,  Charles  Augustus, 
then  twenty-three  years  of  age,  entered  the  firm  of 
George  A.  Boardman  &  Company.  He  had  graduated 
from  Bowdoin  college  the  year  previous.  In  1870  his 
second  son,  Frederic  Henry,  who  graduated  from  Bow- 
doin in  1869,  was  admitted,  each  taking  one-half  their 


26    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

father's  interest,  the  firm  name  remaining  unchanged. 
But  while  giving  up  interest  in  and  care  of  the  business 
he  always  liked  to  be  active  and  constant  about  the  mills 
and  offices  when  not  absent  from  home  on  his  many  visits. 

For  ten  years  previous  to  the  admission  of  his  sons 
into  the  firm,  Mr.  Boardman  had  been  giving  more  and 
more  time  to  the  study  of  natural  history,  especially  to 
ornithology.  He  had  several  times  visited  Boston,  New 
York  and  Washington  to  meet  naturalists  and  to  visit 
the  museums  and  was  also  engaged  in  correspondence 
with  eminent  scientists.  Consequently  he  was  placing 
more  of  the  cares  of  business  upon  other  members  of  the 
firm,  especially  upon  his  two  sons  who  had  taken  his 
interest  in  the  business.  But  while  relinquishing  these 
details  of  private  business  that  he  might  devote  more 
time  to  scientific  pursuits,  Mr.  Boardman  retained  an 
interest  in  all  public  affairs  and  in  the  directorate  of 
many  corporations  in  which  he  had  large  financial  inter- 
ests. He  was  a  director  and  president  of  the  Ferry 
Point  Bridge  Company ;  of  the  International  Steamboat 
Company;  of  the  Frontier  Steamboat  Company,  of 
which  he  was  an  original  director  and  was  president 
of  the  company  at  the  time  of  his  death;  of  the  St. 
Stephen  Bank  and  of  the  St.  Stephen  Rural  Cemetery. 
He  was  also  treasurer  of  St.  Stephen  academy  from  the 
time  it  was  established  till  public  schools  were  started  in 
New  Brunswick.  These  several  corporations  demanded 
much  of  his  time  and  during  a  long  business  career  it 
was  very  rarely  that  he  was  absent  from  any  of  their 
directors'  meetings. 

Between  the  years  1868  and  1891,  a  period  of  twenty- 
three  years,  much  time  was  spent  by  Mr.  Boardman  and 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  27 

his  wife  in  visits  to  different  parts  of  the  country.  While 
in  active  business  he  always  took  his  own  vacations  in 
the  winter  time.  During  the  summer  months  he  man- 
aged the  large  business  interests  of  his  firm,  giving  his 
partners  opportunity  to  have  their  vacations  in  the 
summer.  He  gave  oversight  to  the  mills  of  the  com- 
pany and  made  repeated  visits  to  Boston,  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  to  make  sales  of  lumber 
and  collections  from  buyers — such  business  being  then 
done  more  personally  than  in  later  years. 

When  Prof.  Baird  of  Washington  was  spending  the 
summer  of  1869  at  Eastport  with  his  family,  and  was 
planning  for  Mr.  Boardman  to  join  him  on  a  trip  to 
Grand  Manan  to  pass  some  days  in  examining  shell- 
heaps  and  in  hunting  for  Indian  relics,  Mr.  Boardman 
explained  why  he  could  not  accompany  him.  Writing 
to  Prof.  Baird  under  date  of  August  28  of  that  year  he 
says :  "I  am  very  sorry  I  cannot  get  away  to  go  with 
you,  but  we  have  so  many  men  at  work,  our  mills  are 
being  repaired,  there  are  letters  and  telegrams  to  answer 
every  day  and  it  is  impossible.  My  partner,  Mr.  Todd, 
has  been  away  for  some  time  with  his  family  and  as  I 
take  my  vacations  in  the  winter  I  cannot  spare  the  time 
in  summer  to  be  absent  from  business."  This  attention 
to  business,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  from  having 
a  great  deal  of  company  in  summer  and  his  house  was 
full  of  scientific  friends  for  weeks  at  a  time. 

In  the  period  covered  by  the  years  1868  and  1891  Mr. 
Boardman  made  seventeen  visits  to  Florida,  most  of 
them  embracing  the  entire  winter  months.  On  several 
of  these  visits  Mrs.  Boardman  accompanied  him.  He 
also  visited  California  and  the  west  several  times,  spent 


28   THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

a  number  of  winters  in  Minnesota  and  made  some  winter 
visits  to  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  at  the  sanatorium  in  that 
place  whose  proprietor,  Dr.  Foster,  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  Mr.  Boardman.  Mr.  Charles  A.  Boardman,  Mr. 
Boardman's  eldest  son,  lived  in  Florida  a  number  of 
years  where  he  was  largely  interested  in  railroads, 
orange  growing  and  hotels  and  it  was  there  his  parents 
spent  several  winters  with  him.  In  the  course  of  busi- 
ness changes  at  St.  Stephen  four  of  the  five  living 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  had  gone  to  Minne- 
apolis and  they  were  naturally  anxious  that  their  parents 
should  make  their  home  in  that  city.  Mrs.  Boardman 
was  also  desirous  of  living  there  as  Mr.  J.  Clark  Taylor, 
the  husband  of  her  only  daughter,  was  in  business  in 
that  city  and  it  was  very  natural  that  Mrs.  Boardman 
wished  to  be  near  her. 

Consequently,  in  1881,  Mr.  Boardman  sold  his  house 
and  real  estate  in  St.  Stephen  to  the  treasurer  of  the  St. 
Stephen  cotton  mill  company  and  spent  the  winter  in 
Palatka,  Florida,  at  the  home  of  his  son.  The  next 
spring  they  returned  to  Calais  for  a  short  time  and  then 
went  to  Minneapolis  for  a  year,  living  with  Mrs.  Taylor. 
While  in  Minneapolis,  although  Mr.  Boardman  did  not 
intend  to  make  it  his  future  home,  he  purchased  the 
fine  lot  facing  on  Oak  Grove  street  in  that  city,  running 
through  to  Fifteenth  street  which  was  the  line  of  Central 
Park,  now  called  Eoring  Park,  which  was  about  the 
choicest  lot  in  Minneapolis  at  that  time. 

On  June  2,  1883,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  left  the 
west  on  their  return  to  Calais  where  they  spent  the 
summer,  but  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  they  again 
went  to  Florida  for  the  winter.    In  the  spring  of  1884 


BUSINESS  AND  DOMESTIC  LIFE  29 

they  returned  to  Calais  and  took  possession  of  the  house 
on  I^afayette  street  in  that  city  where  Mr.  Boardrnan 
later  made  his  home.  He  had  built  this  house  in  the 
year  1869  for  his  son,  Charles  A.,  before  he  went  west  to 
spend  a  few  years  with  his  children.  The  years  between 
this  period  and  the  death  of  Mrs.  Boardrnan  were  spent 
at  home  and  in  visits  to  the  south  and  to  Washington— 
the  summers  at  the  north  and  the  winters  in  a  more 
genial  climate. 

In  1886  they  went  west;  the  years  1887-1888  were 
passed  entirely  at  home  with  the  exception  of  brief  visits 
to  Boston,  New  York  and  Washington.  The  winters  of 
1889  and  1890  were  again  spent  in  Florida,  the  last  for 
much  of  the  time  in  company  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Foster 
of  New  York.  The  winter  of  1891  was  the  last  which 
Mr.  Boardrnan  and  his  wife  spent  at  the  south.  In  that 
summer  Gov.  Burleigh  and  his  staff  on  an  official  visit 
to  Calais  passed  a  day  with  the  Boardmans  and  in 
leaving  Mr.  Boardrnan  accompanied  the  party  to  East- 
port.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardrnan 
spent  three  months  at  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  where  Mrs. 
Boardrnan  received  much  benefit  to  her  health  from 
treatment  at  the  Foster  sanatorium  at  that  place.  In 
1892  they  again  spent  the  summer  at  Clifton  Springs  and 
in  the  west.  The  year  1893  was  passed  at  Calais  and  on 
March  4,  1894,  the  death  of  Mrs.  Boardrnan  occurred  in 
the  house  on  Lafayette  street,  their  summer  home  for 
the  ten  years  previous. 

The  family  of  George  Augustus  and  Mary  Jane 
Boardrnan' consisted  of  eleven  children,  viz.:  Charles 
Augustus,  born  December  24,  1844  ;  married  Mercie  F. 
Doane,  October  20,    1868,   who  died  March  28,   1891. 


30     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Georgiana  A.,  born  August  8,  1846;  married  J.  Clark 
Taylor,  October  20,  1869.  Frederic  Henry,  born  April 
25,  1848  ;  married  Hattie  Curtis  Boutelle,  June  8,  1870. 
George  Toppan,  born  January  8,  1850,  died  June  28, 
1859.  Albert  J,  born  February  6,  1852;  married  Sarah. 
Louise  Toogood,  September  6,  1876.  Frank  Edwin, 
born  September  14,  1860,  died  November  16,  1861. 
William  B.,  born  March  1,  1862 ;  married  Jessie  Prescott 
Wilbur,  September  1,  1887.  Lewis  Hayden,  born  July 
29,  1863,  died  March  22,  1865.  Three  sons  died  in 
infancy.  The  living  children  of  Mr.  Boardman  are  : 
Charles  A.  Boardman,  United  States  Consul,  Rimouski, 
Quebec,  Canada  ;  Mrs,  J.  Clark  Taylor,  Calais,  Maine  ; 
FredH.  Boardman, County  Attorney,  Minneapolis,  Minn.; 
Albert  J.  Boardman,  with  United  Gas  and  Improvement 
Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa. ;  William  B.  Boardman, 
Real  Estate  and  Insurance,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

If  the  record  of  Mr.  Boardman' s  life  between  the  years 
1869  and  1887,  as  given  in  the  preceding  pages,-  appears 
brief,  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  the  period  of 
his  greatest  activity  and  prominence  as  a  naturalist,  the 
events  of  which  belong  in  a  chapter  b}^  themselves.  They 
are  so  disassociated  from  his  business  career  and  stand 
out  in  such  prominence  in  his  life  as  a  distinguished 
ornithologist  and  the  friend  of  the  most  eminent  scien- 
tific men  of  his  time,  as  to  merit  a  more  minute  record 
than  is  given  to  his  mere  business  activity.  In  saying 
this  it  is  not  forgotten  that  it  was  success  in  business 
due  to  his  splendid  abilities,  industry  and  sterling  char- 
acter, which  enabled  him  in  comparatively  early  life 
to  relinquish  business  for  the  charms  and  pleasures  of 
nature-study  in  which  he  won  such  eminence. 


CHAPTER  IV 
LIFE  RECORD  OF  A  NATURALIST 

IN  a  paper  written  for  the  Maine  Ornithological  Union 
and  which  was  read  at  its  meeting  held  January  27, 
1898,  Mr.  Boardman  gives  an  entertaining  account  of 
the  incidents  which  led  to  his  becoming  a  naturalist,  in 
which  he  answers  the  question  often  asked,  "What  gave 
him  so  great  an  interest  in  the  study  of  birds  while  in 
the  management  of  a  large  business."  His  reply  in 
brief  was  that  he  believed  every  business  man  should 
have  some  favorite  pursuit  or  hobby.  "I  think  young 
people,"  he  says,  "should  study  natural  history  —  incul- 
cate in  the  minds  of  the  boys  and  girls  a  regard  for  the 
beautiful  in  nature,  whether  of  flower,  insect,  fish  or 
bird;  awaken  an  interest  in  such  studies  as  botany  or 
ornithology.  How  often  we  meet  those  with  idle  brains 
who  do  not  know  how  to  kill  time.  Such  investigations 
would  be  a  great  stimulus."  He  then  relates  that  in 
December,  1840,  he  made  a  business  trip  to  the  South 
American  coast  and  the  West  India  islands.  The  firm 
of  which  he  had  been  a  partner  but  two  years  was 
largely  engaged  in  sending  lumber  to  those  parts  and  it 
was  thought  best  that  Mr.  Boardman  should  go  there, 


32    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

see  the  customers  of  the  firm  and  spend  the  winter.  He 
was  then  but  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  was  a  young 
man  to  be  sent  upon  such  a  business  mission.  How  well 
his  evenings  and  odd  moments  during  the  day,  when 
not  at  work,  must  have  been  spent  in  reading  and  useful 
studies,  to  have  given  this  young  man  of  twenty-three 
such  mastery  of  his  business  that  the  older  members  of 
the  firm  could  feel  satisfied  to  send  him  on  an  important 
business  trip  to  those  foreign  ports  ! 

Mr.  Boardman  landed  at  Berbice  in  British  Guiana  in 
January,  1841  —  a  place  only  six  degrees  from  the  equa- 
tor. He  seemed  to  have  been  transported  to  a  new 
world.  Everything  was  novel,  strange  and  delightful ; 
the  flowers,  the  trees,  the  fruits  and  foliage,  the  birds, 
animals  and  people  were  all  new  and  interesting.  He 
was  captivated  by  the  beauty  of  the  birds  in  their  gor- 
geous plumage ;  while  the  rich  flora,  the  orchids  and  the 
grandest  of  all  the  lilies,  the  Victoria  regia,  the  leaves  of 
which  were  six  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  which  he  saw 
growing  in  its  native  habitat,  the  Berbice  river  —  all 
these  gave  unbounded  delight.  From  Berbice  Mr. 
Boardman  went  to  Demerara,  one  hundred  miles  north 
of  Berbice,  where  the  firm  had  sold  large  quantities  of 
lumber ;  and  from  there  to  Barbados,  then  to  St.  Vin- 
cent, Guiana,  Trinidad  and  the  Windward  Islands,  in 
all  of  which  places  the  firm  had  customers  and  in  each 
of  which  he  saw  beautiful  birds,  interesting  plants  and 
strange  animals. 

At  Demerara,  Mr.  Boardman  had  letters  to  a  gentleman 
having  a  large  estate  in  the  country,  whom  he  found 
to  be  a  good  naturalist.  Mr.  Boardman  enjoyed  his 
acquaintance  very  much.     He  told  him  about  the  birds, 


A  LIFE  RECORD  33 

trees,  flowers  and  animals  of  the  island  ;  and  sent  his 
men  with  him  in  boats  up  the  rivers  of  the  forest  where 
he  saw  "flocks  of  noisy  parrots,  scarlet  and  white  ibis 
and  heard  the  harsh  scream  of  a  bird  called  a  horned 
screamer."  These  all  produced  in  Mr.  Boardman's  mind 
such  a  love  for  birds  and  natural  objects  that  he  returned 
from  his  trip  imbued  with  a  new  love  of  nature  and 
determined  to  study  and  know  something  of  our  own 
birds  and  our  own  natural  history,  of  which,  up  to  that 
time,  he  had  possessed  only  the  knowledge  of  any  intel- 
ligent country  boy.  "  For  a  naturalist  it  was  a  wonder- 
ful land  under  luminous  skies,  where  summer  and  bloom 
last  all  the  year  " — were  Mr.  Boardman's  words  in  con- 
cluding his  paper.  He  believed,  however,  that  there 
were  many  birds,  plants,  trees  and  animals  in  Maine 
about  which  it  was  every  one's  duty  to  know  something 
and  he  resolved  to  spend  some  portion  of  each  day  in 
their  study.  What  an  authority  in  Maine  ornithology 
he  became  and  what  knowledge  he  afterward  acquired 
of  the  fauna  of  the  St.  Croix  valley,  the  lists  which  he 
gave  to  science  abundantly  testify.  It  may  be  added 
here  that  Mr.  Boardman's  firm  sent  much  lumber  to  the 
port  of  St.  Pierre,  Martinique,  which  entered  into  the 
construction  of  the  buildings  destroyed  by  the  volcanic 
eruption  of  May  8-9,  1902. 

Mrs.  Taylor,  Mr.  Boardman's  daughter,  relates  an 
interesting  instance  of  how,  when  a  very  small  girl — she 
was  born  in  1846 — with  her  younger  brother,  she  watched 
the  movements  of  some  birds  for  her  father.  A  pair  of 
yellow  warblers  had  nested  in  a  tree  quite  close  to  the 
house  —  the  first  cottage  in  which  the  family  lived  —  and 
in  a  gale  the  wind  had  nearly  torn  the  nest  away,  tip- 


34    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

ping  it  almost  bottom  side  up.  The  birds  at  once  began 
to  make  repairs  upon  their  home  and  Mr.  Boardman 
set  the  little  children  at  watching  them.  The  branch 
of  the  tree  on  which  the  nest  was  fixed  was  quite  near  a 
chamber  window  and  the  children  were  stationed  in  the 
room  to  watch  the  progress  and  report.  The  birds 
rebuilt  the  nest  and  when  it  was  occupied  and  the  birds 
were  engaged  in  hatching  the  eggs  Mrs.  Taylor 
remembers  that  they  had  a  small  clock  in  the  room  and 
were  to  note  how  long  one  bird  would  sit  upon  the  nest 
before  being  relieved  by  its  mate.  The  children  were 
delighted  to  be  a  help  to  their  father  in  this  way  and 
came,  through  such  interesting  incidents,  to  love  to 
watch  and  study  birds  themselves. 

In  the  first  letter  which  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  to  his 
correspondent,  Dr.  William  Wood  of  East  Windsor  Hill, 
Conn.,  dated  September  23,  1864  and  referred  to  in  that 
chapter  of  this  volume  which  gives  a  resume  of  this 
interesting  correspondence  at  some  length,  Mr.  Board- 
man  says:  "Mr.  Allen  is  mistaken  in  thinking  me 
an  ornithologist  or  oologist,  as  I  do  not  pretend  to  be 
either.  A  person  can  have  a  love  for  flowers  and  not  be 
a  botanist,  or  have  a  love  for  birds  and  to  observe  their 
habits  without  being  an  ornithologist  or  oologist."  It 
appears  that  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen,  then  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
had  mentioned  Mr.  Boardman  to  Dr.  Wood  and  the 
latter  gentleman  had  at  once  written  to  him,  saying: 
"I  trust  that  I  need  make  no  apology  for  addressing 
one  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  as  myself — in  fact,  I 
find  naturalists,  everywhere,  belong  to  one  brotherhood." 
This  had  brought  out  Mr.  Boardman's  most  interesting 
letter  from  which  the  above  extract  has  been  given  and 


A  LIFE  RECORD  35 

thus  began    a    most    delightful   correspondence    which 
extended  over  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years. 

In  one  of  the  earliest  letters  from  Mr.  Board  man  to 
Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
which  has  been  examined,  dated  January  4,  1865,  Mr. 
Boardman  writes  :  "I  have  long  been  a  close  observer 
of  the  habits  of  man}7  common  birds  in  their  northern 
distribution  and  for  some  time  have  been  a  collector  of 
birds."  In  this  same  letter  he  says  :  "  There  has  been 
considerable  written  about  the  Cliff  Swallow  migrating 
south.  I  came  from  Massachusetts  to  this  part  of  the 
country  in  the  year  1828.  The  Cliff  Swallow  was  then 
very  abundant,  building  the  whole  length  of  the  eaves 
of  barns,  as  much  we  see  them  now,  which  was  not 
the  case  in  Massachusetts."  As  Mr.  Boardman  was 
only  ten  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Milltown  from 
Newburyport  in  1828,  his  knowledge  of  the  habits  of 
birds,  which  this  last  extract  from  his  letter  shows  he 
possessed  as  well  as  his  observation  of  their  habits, 
must  have  commenced  at  an  earlier  date  than  his  cor- 
respondence or  writings  would  show.  But  during  the 
earlier  years  of  his  life  his  devotion  to  business  was 
most  intense.  Nothing  was  allowed  to  interfere  with 
his  close  application  to  the  interests  of  his  employers 
and  of  his  firm.  This  was,  however,  no  evidence  that  in 
his  earlier  years  he  did  not  love  natural  history.  The 
passion  for  nature  studies  was  only  latent  during  his 
early  business  life.  It  was  to  be  developed  and  enjoyed 
in  after  years  when  business  success  had  made  possible 
leisure  and  means  for  its  fullest  appreciation.  All  recol- 
lections of  his  conversation  about  beginning  the  study 
of  birds,  however,  as  well  as  his  own  statements  in  the 


36    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

paper  quoted  at  the  opening  of  this  chapter,  show  that 
it  was  his  interest  in  the  beautiful  birds  of  the  tropical 
islands  which  he  visited  in  1841  that  led  to  his  deter- 
mination to  study  and  know  the  birds  of  his  own  locality. 

Mr.  Boardman  commenced  keeping  a  private  diary  in 
1853,  the  first  entry  having  been  made  on  February  14 
of  that  year.  Some  of  the  earliest  records  relate  to 
natural  observations.  He  notes  the  first  plum  and  apple 
blossoms  ;  the  first  dahlias  in  bloom  ;  while  on  August  20 
he  "  went  up  the  road  gunning."  On  April  ;13,  1854, 
the  record  notes  :  "  Saw  robin  this  morning."  On  May 
22  he  "saw  the  first  blue  violets."  August  10  he 
records  that  he  "went  gunning  up  the  road  and  got 
nothing  ;  "  but  on  August  25  had  better  luck  as  he  went 
fishing  and  caught  trout,  also  shot  eight  partridges. 
Entries  similar  to  the  above  appear  throughout  the  fall 
months.  He  went  shooting  and  fishing  every  week,  fre- 
quently for  days  in  succession  and  the  entries  show  that 
he  shot  four,  eleven  and  fifteen  partridges  on  successive 
times  out.  But  few  entries  in  his  diary  for  the  year 
1855  relate  to  birds.  He  records  the  first  robin  April  10, 
the  first  martin  April  26  and  the  first  swallow  Ma}'  2. 
During  the  autumn  he  went  gunning  and  fishing  — 
sports  which  he  afterward  followed  all  his  life  —  often  ; 
frequently  two  or  three  times  a  week. 

On  October  7,  1857,  Mr.  Boardman  was,  as  he  expresses 
it,  "  hung  up"  with  a  cold.  He  could  not,  however,  be 
idle,  it  was  so  foreign  to  his  nature  and  habits,  so  he 
"set  up"  a  wood  duck  —  the  first  entry  in  his  diary 
which  relates  to  taxidermy  and  it  may  be  said  that  his 
magnificent  collection  of  birds  dates  from  that  period. 
In  September,  1858,  Mr.  Boardman  was  in  Philadelphia 


A  LIFE  RECORD  37 

and  made  his  first  visit  to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sci- 
ences. Being  in  Boston  in  April,  1859,  he  purchased  of 
T.  M.  Brewer  a  copy  of  Wilson's  American  Ornithology, 
from  which  undoubtedly  he  commenced  his  first  syste- 
matic study  of  birds. 

The  year  1860  was  one  full  of  interest  to  Mr.  Board- 
man.  His  diary  notes  the  capture  of  his  first  Harlequin 
duck,  February  7.  The  first  robin  appeared  April  11, 
the  first  swallows  April  20  and  the  first  bobolinks  May 
25.  In  March  of  that  year  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and 
Washington.  In  the  former  city  he  met  John  Krider 
and  examined  his  birds.  At  Washington  he  visited  the 
Capitol,  the  Patent  Office,  the  conservatory  and  the 
Smithsonian  Institution.  He  spent  the  most  of  the  time 
for  three  days  at  the  Smithsonian  and  met  Prof.  Spencer 
F.  Baird  for  the  first  time.  In  August  Mr.  Boardman 
was  again  in  New  York  and  saw  the  Prince  of  Wales 
land  in  that  city  on  his  visit  to  the  United  States.  On 
September  22  he  "set  up"  an  eagle  and  on  December  7 
mounted  a  grebe. 

Down  to  that  year  Mr.  Boardman  had  resided  in  the 
small  cottage  which  he  built  the  year  of  his  marriage 
and  where  he  began  keeping  house  in  December,  1843. 
But  on  September  5  he  moved  into  the  new  house  which 
he  had  built  in  1860  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Church 
streets.  It  was  in  a  special  room  of  this  house  that  he 
had  the  large  case  of  mounted  birds,  which  is  now  in  the 
Parliament  House,  Fredericton,  N.  B.,  forming  as  it  does 
one  of  the  main  features  of  interest  as  it  is  an  original 
design  by  Mr.  Boardman.  It  is  the  case  marked  A  in 
the  plan  of  the  room  given  in  this  volume.  It  consists 
of  a  tree  which  forms  the  centre  of  the  case,  tbe  branches 


38    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

of  which  are  full  of  mounted  song  birds  disposed  in  their 
most  characteristic  attitudes.  While  living  in  this  house 
Mr.  Boardman  kept  his  collection  of  mounted  birds  in 
the  parlor  until  the  building  of  the  bird  house  in  1863. 

In  November,  1861,  Mr.  Boardman  attended  a  meet- 
ing of  Naturalists  at  Cambridge  Mass.,  where  he  met  A. 
E.  Verrill,  Prof.  Shaler,  Alpheus  Hyatt  and  D.  G.  Elliot. 

From  Mr.  Boardman' s  diary  and  correspondence  it  is 
evident  that  the  year  1862  was  a  most  active  and 
interesting  one  in  his  studies,  his  collecting  and  his 
visits  to  naturalists.  He  was  at  the  height  of  his  great 
business  enterprises  and  made  frequent  trips  to  Boston, 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  in  the  interests  of  his  firm. 
But  he  was  also  making  these  visits  opportunities  to 
meet  naturalists,  visit  the  museums  and  attend  meetings 
of  scientific  societies.  In  that  year  no  less  than  twenty- 
six  entries  relating  to  birds  are  found  in  his  diary.  They 
extend  from  April  9  to  December  16.  He  notes  in  that 
year  robins,  swallows,  snowbirds,  shelldrakes,  grebes, 
bluejays,  eagles,  martins,  fishhawk,  ducks,  warblers, 
gulls,  sea  parrots,  herons,  yellow  birds,  sandpipers,  gros- 
beaks, partridges,  white  owl,  sea  dove  and  banded  wood- 
pecker. On  July  16  he  skinned  a  Northern  Phalarope 
and  a  Sea  Parrot. 

During  the  last  of  March  and  first  of  April  Mr.  Board- 
man  went  to  Philadelphia  and  Washington.  At  Phil- 
adelphia he  went  to  the  rooms  and  meeting  of  the 
Academy  of  natural  sciences.  In  Washington  he  spent 
several  days  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  visited  the 
Botanic  Garden  of  W.  R.  Smith,  and  called  upon  Sena- 
tor Hamlin  and  Hon.  Fred'k  A.  Pike,  representative  to 
Congress  from  Calais.    At  Philadelphia  he  always  called 


A  LIFE  RECORD  39 

on  John  Krider  and  in  New  York  on  D.  G.  Elliot.  In 
Boston,  in  October,  he  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Natural 
History  Society.  It  was  in  that  year  that  Mr.  Boardman 
began  correspondence  with  many  eminent  naturalists, 
among  them  D.  G.  Elliot,  A.  E.  Verrill,  Dr.  T.  M. 
Brewer,  Elliot  Coues,  H.  E.  Dresser  of  Eondon,  Eng. 
and  John  Krider,  a  commercial  bird-man  who  was  a 
well-informed  ornithologist  with  whom  Mr.  Boardman 
exchanged  birds  and  eggs  for  many  years.  On  May  14, 
1862,  Mr.  H.  E.  Dresser,  the  eminent  English  ornitholo- 
gist, visited  Mr.  Boardman  for  the  first  time  and  remained 
some  days. 

In  1862  the  results  of  Mr.  Boardman's  observations  and 
studies  in  the  ornithology  of  the  St.  Croix  valley  were 
first  published  to  the  scientific  world.  Previous  to  this 
he  had  for  ten  years  been  carrying  on  his  studies  of  the 
fauna  of  his  locality  with  ever  increasing  interest  and 
yet  with  so  much  privacy  that  it  was  only  within  a  few 
years  prior  to  1862  that  naturalists  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  had  been  aware  of  the  extent  and  value  of  his 
notes.  Entered  upon  wholly  for  his  own  enjoyment 
and  as  a  pleasure  and  recreation  from  the  cares  of  a  large 
business,  his  observations  in  ornithology  now  attracted 
the  attention  of  those  engaged  in  similar  studies  who 
had  acquired  wide  scientific  reputation.  Moreover, 
Mr.  Boardman's  correspondence  with  naturalists  and  his 
visits  to  the  natural  history  societies  of  the  various  cities 
had  brought  him  into  prominence  and  accorded  him 
welcome  to  their  collections  and  their  meetings. 

A  "Catalogue  of  the  Birds  found  in  the  Vicinity  of 
Calais,  Maine,  and  about  the  Islands  at  the  Mouth  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  by  George  A.  Boardman,"  was  published 


40    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  His- 
tory for  September,  1862,  Volume  IX,  pages  122-132. 
This  was  published  with  the  following  introductory  note 
from  A.  E.  Verrill :  "  The  following  list  of  birds  was 
originally  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Boardman  for  my  own  use 
and  was  not  intended  for  publication  ;  but,  finding  that 
it  was  very  complete  and  valuable  for  determining  the 
geographical  distribution  of  species,  I  requested  him  to 
publish  it.  This  he  could  not  attend  to  himself  and  I 
have,  with  his  consent,  re-written  it  in  a  systematic  form, 
adding,  in  some  cases,  observations  made  by  myself  at 
Grand  Manan  in  1859."  This  note  of  Prof.  Verrill 
shows  plainly  that  Mr.  Boardman  was  so  closely  engaged 
in  business  that  he  could  not  attend  to  the  publication 
of  the  list,  while  Prof.  Verrill  gives  it  the  just  compli- 
ment of  saying  that  it  is  "very  complete  and  valuable." 
The  list  enumerates  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  spe- 
cies. Regarding  the  Tufted  Puffin,  Prof.  Verrill  says  : 
' '  Mr.  Boardman  states  that  the  fishermen  say  that  a 
Tufted  Puffin,  or  Sea  Parrot,  is  occasionally  seen  about 
the  islands  in  winter.  This  species  is  also  said  by 
Audubon  to  be  sometimes  found  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 
A  specimen  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology  was 
probably  obtained  at  Grand  Manan." 

A  copy  of  this  list  had  also  been  sent  to  Prof.  Spencer 
F.  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  who,  in  acknowl- 
edging the  same,  wrote  in  a  letter  of  December  2,  1862 : 
"I  duly  received  your  interesting  catalogue  of  Calais 
birds  ;  it  makes  a  fine  show  of  species." 

On  page  233  of  Volume  IX.  of  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Boston  Society  is  an  additional  list  of  twelve  species 
of   Maine   birds  described  by  Mr.    Boardman.     Of  the 


A  LIFE  RECORD  41 

Prothonotary  Warbler  Prof.  Verrill  says  it  was  unknown 
in  New  England  until  Mr.  Boardman  obtained  it  —  a 
single  male  specimen,  "  shot  the  last  day  of  October 
on  a  tree  in  the  edge  of  a  swamp."  The  Banded  Three- 
toed  Woodpecker  found  during  a  severe  winter  was 
recorded  as  a  rare  winter  visitor.  Mr.  Boardman  found 
the  Magnolia  Warbler  breeding  in  the  season  of  1862. 

More  records  regarding  Mr.  Boardman's  studies  upon 
birds  appear  in  his  diary  throughout  the  year  1863  than 
in  an}* year  during  which  it  was  kept.  He  not  only  made 
collections  of  birds  but  of  eggs  and  nests.  Boxes  of  birds 
and  eggs  were  sent  to  his  naturalist  friends  and  also 
received  from  them  in  exchange.  Sixty-four  entries 
relate  to  individual  birds,  to  his  collection  and  to  his 
work  among  birds  like  the  following  :  Skinning  and 
mounting  birds ;  getting  nests  and  eggs,  sending  off  and 
receiving  specimens  and  marking  bird  skins.  In  March 
Mr.  Boardman  visited  Fredericton,  went  to  the  Parlia- 
ment building,  library  and  university.  He  also  went  to 
New  York  and  Boston  in  that  month.  In  the  latter 
place  he  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Natural  History 
Society  and  in  Cambridge  visited  the  Museum  of  Com- 
parative Zoology.  Again  in  October  he  attended  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Natural  History  Society  in  Boston. 

Mr.  Boardman's  collection  had  during  the  past  three 
or  four  years  been  increasing  very  rapidly.  He  had  made 
large  additions  to  it  by  his  own  collecting  and  by  his 
extensive  exchanges,  while  he  had  also  had  for  several 
years  men  in  the  woods,  at  Grand  Manan  and  other 
places  along  the  river  and  bay  who  were  constantly 
sending  him  specimens  both  common  and  rare  —  for 
he  wanted  both,   either  for   his  own   collection  or    for 


42    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

exchanges  with  his  large  list  of  scientific  correspondents. 
His  collection  had  in  fact  outgrown  the  rooms  of  his 
dwelling  assigned  to  it  and  in  the  fall  of  1863  he  built  a 
special  building  into  which  his  birds  were  moved  from 
his  house  on  September  14  of  that  year.  This  building 
was  sixteen  by  twenty-six  feet  and  ten  feet  posted,  very 
pretty  in  its  Swiss  style  of  architecture  and  being  sur- 
rounded by  trees  and  shrubbery  formed  an  attractive 
feature  of  the  grounds.  When  his  birds  were  installed 
in  this  house  Mr.  Boardman  took  great  pleasure  in  being 
in  it,  arranging  his  collections  and  working  among  his 
birds,  nests  and  eggs. 

In  June,  1864,  John  Krider,  the  Philadelphia  natural- 
ist and  commercial  bird-man,  first  visited  Mr.  Boardman 
and  remained  two  weeks.  They  went  to  the  Grand 
L,akes,  to  Maguerrawock  and  numerous  other  places  of 
local  note  for  birds,  obtained  many  rare  specimens  and 
had  a  fine  time  together  on  shooting  and  collecting 
trips.  A  correspondence,  exchange  of  specimens  and 
friendship  existed  between  them  throughout  life.  On 
his  business  visits  to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore, 
Providence  and  Boston,  which  were  very  frequent,  Mr. 
Boardman  always  called  on  his  naturalist  friends  and  no 
entries  in  his  diary  are  made  with  more  regularity  than 
those  in  which  he  records  his  visits  to  them  and  that  he 
looked  over  their  collections.  He  was  always  intent  on 
new  or  rare  things  and  was  glad  to  see  what  his  friends 
possessed  or  had  obtained  since  previous  visits. 

In  this  year  Mr.  Boardman  received  from  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  a  series  of  bird  skins  from  the  most 
northern  portion  of  the  continent  of  America,  collected 
by  the  collaborators  of  the  Institution  in  the  Hudson's 


A  LIFE  RECORD  43 

Bay  Company.  In  transmitting  them  to  Mr.  Boardman, 
Prof.  Joseph  Henry,  then  secretary  of  the  Smithsonian, 
said  in  his  letter  of  June  17,  1864  :  "They  embrace  skins 
of  some  of  the  rarest  of  American  birds  and  we  have 
thought  proper,  in  accordance  with  our  general  policy, 
to  make  a  distribution  of  the  duplicates  to  such  museums 
as  would  be  most  likely  to  value  and  make  good  use  of 
them."  It  was  a  distinguished  consideration  on  the 
part  of  officials  of  the  Smithsonian  to  place  these  dupli- 
cates of  rare  specimens  in  a  private  rather  than  a  public 
museum,  and  was  a  recognition  of  Mr.  Boardman's  stand- 
ing as  a  naturalist  as  well  as  a  partial  return  for  his  ser- 
vices to  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  It  was  an  honor, 
too,  which  Mr.  Boardman  highly  appreciated.  His 
studies  of  this  collection  of  skins  and  his  subsequent 
studies  at  the  Smithsonian  gave  Mr.  Boardman  that 
knowledge  of  arctic  ornithology  which  placed  him  in 
the  front  rank  among  naturalists  familiar  with  arctic 
bird-life. 

Mr.  Boardman  had  met  Prof.  Baird  at  Washington  in 
the  early  spring  of  1860  and  also  in  1862.  In  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Boardman,  dated  November  19,  1862,  Prof.  Baird 
commences  it  by  saying  :  "I  look  forward  with  much 
pleasure  one  day  to  meeting  you  way  up  in  New  Bruns- 
wick ;  when —  I  dare  not  say."  This  pleasure  was  not 
realized,  however,  until  nearly  three  years  later.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1865  Prof.  Baird  and  his  family  spent  the 
summer  at  Eastport,  Maine  —  which  was  their  summer 
home  for  many  years  afterward  —  and  on  August  10  he 
visited  Mr.  Boardman  at  St.  Stephen,  N.  B.,  for  the  first 
time.  It  must  have  been  a  very  happy  meeting  as  it  was 
the  commencement  of  a  close  and  intimate  friendship 


44    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

between  the  two  naturalists  which  was  only  terminated 
by  Prof.  Baird's  death.  It  was  also  doubly  happy  to 
Mr.  Boardman,  for  at  that  time  he  was  enjoying  a  sec- 
ond visit  from  Henry  E.  Dresser,  the  eminent  English 
ornithologist  and  his  brother  Joseph  —  who  is  always 
referred  to  in  Mr.  Dresser's  letters  to  Mr.  Boardman  as 
Joe.  The  Dressers  reached  St.  Stephen  on  August  7 
and  left  on  the  day  following  Prof.  Baird's  arrival 
and  the  meeting  of  these  famous  naturalists  must  have 
been  an  event  of  great  pleasure  to  each  of  them.  After 
spending  a  day  or  two  at  St.  Stephen,  Prof.  Baird 
went  to  Eastport  but  returned  again  with  Mrs.  Baird 
and  his  daughter  L,ucy.  While  their  guests  Mr.  Board- 
man  took  Prof.  Baird  to  the  Grand  Lakes  and  other 
interesting  places  for  birds  and  fish  and  after  a  stay  of 
some  da}^s  Prof.  Baird  returned  to  Eastport,  leaving 
Mrs.  and  Miss  Baird  wTith  the  Boardmans.  This  was 
also  the  beginning  of  a  long  friendship  between  the  two 
families  and  many  were  the  visits  made  to  and  from  each 
in  after  years.  On  their  return  to  Washington  in  Sep- 
tember Mr.  Boardman  accompanied  the  Bairds  to  Boston 
and  New  York  where  the  two  friends  ' '  went  around  to 
see  all  the  scientific  folks  "  — as  Mr.  Boardman  records 
in  his  diary. 

The  years  1866  and  1867  were  extremely  busy  years 
with  Mr.  Boardman  so  far  as  his  business  interests  were 
concerned.  During  these  years  he  went  many  times  to 
Boston,  Providence,  Baltimore,  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Washington  on  business  for  his  firm  —  selling 
cargoes  of  lumber,  calling  upon  business  friends,  making 
collections  and  purchasing  supplies  for  his  lumbering 
camps  and  mills.     But  the  interests  of  his  dearest  pursuit, 


A  LIFE  RECORD  45 

his  studies  of  bird-life,  were  never  forgotten.  Often  it 
is  difficult  to  understand  if  they  were  not  indeed  pri- 
mary rather  than  secondary  objects  on  many  of  these 
trips,  for  he  always  spent  much  time  at  the  museums  and 
in  calling  on  his  scientific  friends.  In  Washington  he 
invariably  spent  many  days  at  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion; while  in  Philadelphia  he  always  called  on  Mr. 
Krider,  in  New  York  on  Mr.  Elliot  and  visited  the 
Central  Park,  while  in  Boston  the  rooms  of  the  Natural 
History  Society  were  always  a  charmed  place  for  him 
and  where  he  met  many  naturalists.  He  also  visited 
places  nearer  home.  His  visits  to  Fredericton  were  fre- 
quent where  he  enjoyed  the  collection  of  Mr.  Sill.  His 
own  collection  of  birds  was  also  becoming  better  known 
and  was  visited  by  many  prominent  people.    In  April, 

1866,  his  museum  was  visited  by  Admiral  Sir  James 
Hope,  Governor  Gordon,  General  Doil,  Captain  Hold- 
ness  and  other  British  officers.  Several  visits  "to  the 
west" — as  Mr.  Boardman  then  called  his  trips  to  places 
as  far  as  Washington  —  were  made  in  1867.  Four  times 
at  least  he  went  to  New  York,  spending  from  four  days 
to  a  week  at  each  visit. 

His  eldest  son,  Charles  A.,  having  been  admitted  to 
the  business  firm  in  1867,  Mr.  Boardman  relinquished 
much  of  its  care  to  him  and  made  his  first  visit  to  Florida 
in  the  winter  1867-68,  leaving  home  on  December  26, 

1867.  Several  reasons  led  to  his  making  this  winter 
journey  to  Florida.  Mr.  Boardman  had  studied  the 
birds  of  the  St.  Croix  for  many  years,  knew  them  all 
and  wanted  to  know  more  about  the  birds  of  other  parts 
of  our  own  country.  As  has  been  stated  in  a  previous 
chapter,  the  division  of  work  with  his  firm  was  such  that 


46    THK  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mr.  Boardman  took  his  vacations  in  winter  while  his 
partner  had  his  in  the  summer.  Moreover,  Florida  was 
at  that  time  coming  into  notice  as  a  winter  sporting  and 
pleasure  resort  and  Mr.  Boardman  having  abundance 
of  leisure  decided  to  spend  the  winter  at  the  south.  It 
was  a  month  after  leaving  home  before  he  reached  Jack- 
sonville. He  remained  several  days  in  Philadelphia 
and  spent  four  days  in  Washington  where  he  studied  at 
the  Smithsonian  Institution.  His  stay  in  Florida  that 
first  winter  was  not  long,  as  he  reached  Fernandina  on 
January  30, 1868  and  left  for  the  north  on  March  16,  1868. 
He  reached  home  April  22  and  the  first  thing  Mr.  Board- 
man  did  after  his  arrival  was  to  go  "  all  round  and  see 
the  folks."  Then  he  records  in  his  diary,  April  30: 
"Dull  and  rainy.  Went  after  Mayflowers;  got  only 
buds."  Could  there  be  any  doubt  of  his  genuine  love  of 
nature  when  this  busy  man  of  affairs,  after  a  winter  in 
the  land  of  birds  and  flowers,  on  reaching  his  northern 
home,  would  take  a  rainy  day  on  which  to  go  after 
Mayflowers  ? 

On  that  first  visit  to  Florida  Mr.  Boardman  bore  a  letter 
addressed  "  To  Correspondents  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution and  the  Friends  of  Science  Generally,"  from  Joseph 
Henry,  then  secretary  of  the  Institution.  It  was  in  these 
words  :  ' '  The  bearer  of  this  letter  Mr.  George  A.  Board- 
man  visits  the  Southern  States  for  the  purpose  of  study- 
ing its  Natural  History  and  collecting  specimens  in  part 
for  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  I  beg  to  commend 
him  and  his  object  to  your  kind  consideration  and  assist- 
ance. Washington,  D.  C,  January  18th,  1868."  Pro- 
vided with  such  an  introduction  Mr.  Boardman  had 
exceptional  advantages  for  making  acquaintances  and 


A  LIFE  RECORD  47 

for  special  facilities  being  placed  at  his  disposal  to  make 
explorations  and  obtain  specimens. 

There  has  been  found  among  Mr.  Boardman's  papers, 
in  pencil  —  the  paper  on  which  it  is  written  being  much 
worn  and  stained  —  a  list  of  birds  with  this  endorse- 
ment :  "  Birds  observed  in  Florida  by  G.  A.  Boardman, 
1868-1869,  winter." 

This  list  embraces  one  hundred  and  seventy  species  and 
notes  on  their  occurrence  are  attached  to  many  of  them. 
It  has  been  compared  with  a  list  sent  by  Mr.  Boardman 
to  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen,  then  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  is  here  printed  exactly 
as  given  by  Mr.  Boardman.  It  is  interesting  as  stand- 
ing for  just  what  it  is  —  a  field  naturalist's  list  with  no 
attempt  at  scientific  nomenclature.  His  knowledge  of 
bird-life  and  his  close  habits  of  observation  are  apparent 
throughout  the  list,  which  is  a  long  one  for  a  single 
observer  to  make  in  a  locality  in  which  he  had  not  been 
previously  acquainted  and  in  the  brief  time  stated. 

This  list  had  been  sent  Mr.  Allen  in  answer  to  his  request 
for  the  same.  Writing  Mr.  Boardman  on  October  23, 
1869,  Mr.  Allen  solicited  his  aid  in  making  up  notes  on 
Florida  birds  for  publication  by  saying  :  "  As  you  have 
had  much  experience  in  Floridian  ornithology  I  have 
no  doubt  you  have  many  facts  not  known  by  me.  If 
you  do  not  propose  to  publish  your  observations  your- 
self, would  you  be  willing  to  communicate  some  of  them 
to  me  for  incorporation  in  my  proposed  paper?"  Again 
on  October  29,  Mr.  Allen  in  writing  Mr.  Boardman 
says  :  "I  am  sure  you  must  have  many  notes  on  Florida 
birds  that  will  be  very  valuable  to  me,  especially  on  the 
water  birds  since  you  have  had  so  good  an  opportunity 


48    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

to  see  them.  I  should  be  very  much  gratified  to  receive 
a  summary  of  your  observations  with  liberty  to  use  them. 
I  should  of  course  give  you  the  fullest  credit  therefor." 
In  both  letters  Mr.  Allen  asks  numerous  questions  upon 
which  he  wants  information.  The  very  day  of  the  receipt 
of  this  last  letter,  Mr.  Boardman  sent  his  list  and  notes 
on  Florida  birds,  accompanied  by  the  followig  letter  : 

Milltown,  Maine,  Oct.  29. 
Friend  Allen: 

I  send  you  today  a  list  of  birds  from  ray  notes  and  think 
I  have  taken  them  all  off.  I  write  them  by  the  common  name  as  I 
am  troubled  to  spell  the  scientific  names  correctly.  If  I  had  time 
I  would  like  to  write  you  some  observations  about  some  of  them 
but  I  find  if  I  should  begin,  it  would  take  too  much  time  and  you 
would  not  perhaps  care  for  it.  I  wish  something  could  be  done 
to  keep  the  visitors  from  shooting  every  bird  they  come  across. 
The  little  Paroquet  must  soon  be  exterminated.  Some  of  our 
Enterprise  party  would  sometimes  shoot  forty  to  fifty  at  a  few 
discharges  for  sport,  as  they  hover  about  when  any  are  shot  until 
whole  flocks  are  destroyed.  The  White  Egrets  and  Snowy  Herons 
are  so  persecuted  that  many  of  their  breeding  places  are  destroyed. 
Where  I  saw  them  quite  abundant  in  1868,  in  1869  they  had  all 
left;  they  shoot  them  by  hundreds,  for  their  plumes. 

I  have  about  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Florida  again  this 
winter  and  shall  probably  leave  in  December. 

I  do  not  know  as  1  answered  your  question  about  the  breed- 
ing of  the  Crossbills.  They  breed  all  the  season  from  February 
20  to  May  and  perhaps  later.  The  Canada  Jay  also  breeds  when 
the  snow  is  quite  deep  in  March  and  I  think  breeds  again  in 
summer  as  I  have  seen  young  birds  in  September.  I  have  also 
found  ravens'  eggs  when  the  snow  was  quite  deep.  Have  seen 
the  young  of  Mergus  Americanus  out  with  young  the  middle  of 
May,  which  is  unusually  early. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


A  LIFE  RECORD  49 

List  of  Florida  Birds,  1S68—1869 

Butterball;  not  very  common. 

Ruddy  Duck ;  not  uncommon,  river  and  coast. 

Hooded  Merganser ;  very  abundant  on  the  coast. 

White  Pelican;  seen  in  large  flocks  at  mouth^of  St.  Johns  all 
winter. 

Brown  Pelican ;  abundant ;  Fernandina  and  mouth  of  St.  Johns 
river. 

Gannet;  very  abundant  on  the  coast  in  winter. 

Booby  Gannet ;  saw  a  few  on  the  coast. 

Florida  Cormorant ;  very  abundant  on  river  and  coast. 

Water  Turkey ;  very  abundant  on  the  river. 

Wilson's  Petrel ;  a  few  about  the  coast  at  Fernandina. 

Hagdon's  Great  Shearwater;  a  few  about  the  coast  at  Fernan- 
dina. 

Razorbill  Shearwater,  Skimmer;  abundant^  on]  coast;  large 
flocks. 

Herring  Gull ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Ring-billed  Gull ;  not  very  plenty. 

Laughing  Gull ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Bonaparte  Gull ;  not  very  plenty. 

Cayenne  Tern ;  abundant  about  the  coast. 

One  or  two  small  terns  about  the  coast. 

Horned  Grebe ;  not  uncommon  on  the  St.  Johns  river. 

Pied-billed  Dabchick ;  not  uncommon  on  the  St.  Johns. 

Great- White  or  Whooping  Crane. 

Wild  Pigeon. 

Turkey  Buzzard ;  very  common,  St.  Johns  river. 

Black  Vulture ;  quite  rare  about  the  St.  Johns  river. 

Duck  Hawk;  St.  Augustine,  February,  1868;  one  instance. 

Pigeon  Hawk ;  St.  Augustine ;  frequent. 

Sparrow  Hawk;  common. 

Cooper's  Hawk ;  common. 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk ;  common. 

Red-tailed  Hawk;  not  common. 

Red-shouldered  Hawk;  most  common  hawk  except  fish-hawk. 

Broad-winged  Hawk ;  common. 


50    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Swallow-tailed  Hawk;  saw  none  until   February  20;  rare  in 
winter,  I  think. 

Marsh  Hawk;  common  about  St.  Augustine. 

White-headed  Eagle ;  very  abundant. 

Fish   Hawk ;  very  abundant ;  most  common  hawk  breeding  in 
January. 

Caracara   Eagle ;  two  specimens ;  only    February  and   March ; 
frequent  at  Enterprise. 

Great    Horned    Owl;   rare;   one    specimen    at    Enterprise    in 
February. 

Mottled  Owl ;  not  uncommon. 

Short-eared  Owl ;  common  about  marshes. 

Barred  Owl;  very  abundant. 

Parrakeet ;  very  abundant,  but  will   soon   be   destroyed  if  so 
many  are  shot. 

Ivory-billed  Woodpecker;  quite  rare  ;  saw  but  few  pairs. 

Hairy  Woodpecker;  rare. 

Bed-cockaded  Woodpecker ;  very  abundant  in  pine  woods. 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker;  common. 

Pileated  Woodpecker ;  very  abundant,  small  size. 

Bed-bellied  Woodpecker ;  very  abundant. 

Bed-headed  Woodpecker ;  rare. 

Golden-winged  Flicker ;  very  abundant. 

Buby-throated  Humming  bird;  first  February  20;  common  in 
March. 

Chimney  Swallow;  March. 

Chuck- will's- widow;  March. 

Kingfisher ;  abundant  all  winter. 

King-bird ;  first  April. 

Great-crested  Flycatcher ;  first  April. 

Pewee;  abundant  all  winter. 

Wood  Pewee ;  March ;  rare. 

Least  Flycatcher ;  rare ;  March. 

Heimit  Thrush ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Wilson's  Thrush;  not  common;  Greencove  Springs,  February 
20,  22. 

Olive-backed  Thrush  (Swainson's) ;  rare ;  one  at  Enterprise. 
February  18 ;  one  at  St.  Augustine,  February. 


A  LIFE  RECORD  51 

Robin ;  not  abundant ;  keeps  to  the  woods  and  is  quite  wild. 

Blue-bird;  common  and  breeds,  nesting  last  of  February. 

Ruby-crowned  Wren;  common  all  winter. 

Tit-Lark;  abundant  all  winter. 

Black  and  White  Creeper;  rare;  February  15,  first. 

Blue  Yellow-backed  Warbler;  saw  none  in  January;  common  in 
February. 

Maryland  Yellow-throated  Warbler;  all  winter,  common. 

Nashville  Warbler;  only  one  13th  March  at  Jacksonville. 

Orange-crowned  Warbler;  few  15th  February,  Enterprise,  rare. 

Yellow-rnmped  Warbler ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Pine-creeping  Warbler ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Black-and-yellow  Warbler;  one  specimen  February  27  at  Green- 
cove  Springs. 

Yellow  Red-poll  Warbler ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Yellow-throated  Warbler ;  common  all  winter. 

White-bellied  Swallow ;  abundant  all  winter ;  flocks  of  thousands. 

Bank  Swallow;  first  April. 

Rough-winged  Swallow;  first  April. 

Purple  Martin  ;  come  to  boxes  15th  February ;  think  resident. 

Cedar-bird ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Loggerhead  Shrike;  abundant  all  winter. 

Red-eyed  Vireo;  rare;  Enterprise,  a  few  all  winter. 

Wbite-eyed  Vireo;  rare;  one  specimen  in  February. 

Mocking-bird;  abundant;  breeds  in  March. 

Cat-bird ;  abundant ;  winter  resident. 

Brown  Thrush;  abundant  all  winter. 

Great  Carolina  Wren;  March  20,  at  Jacksonville. 

Prairie  Warbler;  common  the  last  of  February. 

House  Wren  ;  not  uncommon. 

Winter  Wren;  January  and  February;  rare. 

Short-billed  Marsh  Wren;  rare;  last  of  February  at  Enterprise. 

Brown-headed  Nuthatch ;  very  common  all  winter. 

Blue  Gray  Flycatcher;  abundant  all  winter. 

Crested  Chickadee;  common  in  February. 

Carolina  Chickadee ;  rare ;  Greencove  Springs. 

Thistle-bird  —  Yellow-bird;  common  all  winter. 

Savanna  Sparrow;  common  all  winter. 


52    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Bay-winged  Bunting ;  common  all  winter. 

Sharp-tailed  Finch ;  common. 

Seaside  Finch ;  common. 

White-throated  Sparrow ;  common  all  winter. 

Black  Snow-bird;  common  in  January. 

Field  SpaiTOw ;  common  all  winter. 

Chipping  Sparrow ;  common  all  winter. 

Song  Sparrow ;  common  all  winter. 

Swamp  Sparrow;  common  all  winter. 

Bachman's  Finch ;  not  uncommon. 

Fox-colored  Sparrow ;  rare ;  two  instances  only. 

Painted  Bunting;  April  1. 

Ground  Robin ;  very  abundant  all  winter ;  two  varieties. 

Bed-winged  Blackbird ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Meadow  Lark ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Rusty  Blackbird ;  rare ;  saw  a  few  scattering  small  flocks. 

Boat-tailed  Grackle ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Crow  Blackbird ;  very  abundant  all  winter. 

Crow ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Fish  Crow :  abundant  all  winter. 

Blue  Jay ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Florida  Jay ;  very  local ;  only  found  about  Enterprise ;  common. 

Common  Dove ;  abundant  all  winter. 

Ground  Dove ;  abundant  about  St.  Augustine. 

Wild  Turkey ;  common  at  Enterprise. 

Quail;  common;  the  bill  appears  a  little  larger  but  the  bird 
smaller  than  at  the  north. 

Sand-hill  Crane ;  quite  common. 

Limpkin  Crying-bird ;  not  uncommon ;  Lake  Dexter ;  Lake 
Henry. 

White  Heron,  or  Egret :  very  abundant. 

Small  White  Heron,  or  Egret ;  very  abundant. 

Great  Blue  Heron ;  very  abundant. 

Blue  Heron ;  very  abundant. 

Louisiana  Heron ;  rare. 

Bittern  or  Stake  Driver ;  rare. 

Green  Heron  ;  not  rare. 

Night  Heron ;  not  rare. 


A  LIFE  RECORD  53 

Wood  Ibis ;  plenty. 
White  Ibis ;  plenty. 

Roseate  Spoonbill ;  rare  on  St.  Johns,  more  uncommon  on  Indian 
River. 
Killdee  Plover;  very  common  all  winter. 
Wilson's  Plover;  all  winter,  St.  Augustine. 
Ring  Plover ;  all  winter  common,  St.  Augustine. 
Golden  Plover;  rare,  St.  Augustine. 
Piping  Plover ;  all  winter,  St.  Augustine. 
Black-necked  Stilt ;  common  last  March,  Enterprise. 
Woodcock;  January  and  February;  not  rare. 
English  Snipe ;  abundant  all  winter, 
Oyster-catcher;  rare;  St.  Augustine  in  winter. 
Turnstone ;  St.  Augustine,  rare. 

Telltale  Tattler;  common  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Johns. 
Sanderling;  St.  Augustine;  common  all  winter. 
Willet;  St.  Augustine;  common  all  winter. 
Great  Marbled  Godwit ;  St.  Augustine ;  common  all  winter. 
Spotted  Sandpiper ;  St.  Augustine ;  common  all  winter. 
Red-backed  Sandpiper;  St.  Augustine;  common  all  winter. 
Long-billed  Curlew;  very  abundant  on  the  coast. 
Marsh  Hen;  not  uncommon  on  St.  Johns  river. 
Clapper  Bail;  common  on  St.  Johns  river. 
Virginia  Rail ;  common  all  winter,  St.  Johns  river. 
Common  Rail ;  saw  none  until  March  25,  St.  Johns  River. 
Yellow  Rail ;  all  winter,  St.  Johns. 
Coot ;  very  abundant. 
Florida  Gallinule ;  abundant. 

Mallard  Duck ;  common  all  winter  in  very  large  flocks. 
Pintail  Duck;  not  very  common  about  St.  Johns  river. 
Green-wiuged  Teal ;  common  all  winter. 
Blue-winged  Teal ;  common  all  winter. 
Shoveller;  common  all  winter. 
Baldpate;   common  all  winter. 

Wood  Duck;  abundant;  breeds  in  February  and  March. 
Big  Black  Head;  not  very  common. 

Little  Black  Head ;  most  abundant  duck  on  St.  Johns  river. 
Red-head  Duck ;  very  rare ;  only  a  few  seen. 


54    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Canvas-back  Duck ;  common. 

Golden-eyed  Duck ;  rare  on  coast. 

Surf  Duck;  rare;  only  one  specimen  ;  (sea  coast). 

White-winged  Coot  Duck ;  very  rare  on  the  coast. 

Buffle-head  Duck;  not  uncommon  river  and  coast. 

On  receiving  this  letter  and   list  of  birds  from  Mr. 
Boardman,  Mr.  Allen  acknowledged  them  as  follows  : 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  Oct.  31,  1869. 
Friend  Boardman: 

Yours  of  the  29th  is  at  hand,  together  with  your  list  of 
Florida  birds,  for  which  I  am  extremely  obliged.  It  adds  quite  a 
number  of  species  to  my  list  which  1  should  not  otherwise  have 
had,  and  valuable  notes  on  others,  all  of  which  I  shall  be  happy  to 
use  with  due  acknowledgements.  In  addition,  if  I  may  trouble 
you  so  much,  I  should  like  to  know  at  what  points  you  made 
most  of  your  observations  and  during  what  months.  I  should 
like  further  particulars  in  reference  to  the  wholesale  destruction 
of  certain  species  by  hunters,  especially  of  the  Egrets,  and  at 
what  points  they  have  been  most  persecuted.  On  the  whole 
our  notes  rarely  differ  in  respect  to  the  abundance  and  time  of 
occurrence  of  these  species  we  both  observed.  In  respect  to  the 
Vireos,  however,  I  did  not  meet  with  the  Bed-eyed  till  March, 
while  the  White-eyed  was  common  all  winter  —  the  reverse  of 
what  you  state.  The  great  Carolina  Wren  I  found  more  or  less 
common  all  winter.  You  mention  both  the  Sharp-tailed  and  Sea- 
side Finches?  What  were  their  peculiar  haunts?  The  coast?  As 
already  remarked  in  a  previous  letter,  any  facts  in  respect  to  the 
weight  and  general  appearance  of  the  Wild  Turkey  are  solicited. 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  A.  Allen. 

In  further  explanation  of  the  places  where  Mr.  Board- 
man  collected,  with  additional  notes,  he  writes  Mr.  Allen  : 

Milltown,  Maine,  Nov.  3,  1869. 
Friend  Allen  : 

I  have  yours  of  October  31.  I  made  all  of  my  observation 
about  East  Florida,  January,  February  and  March,  with  a  week  or 
two  in  April.   Fernandina  I  found  a  very  good  place  for  shore  and 


A  LIFE  RECORD  55 

beach  birds,  also  for  Sharp-tailed  and  other  finches.  I  was  several 
times  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Johns  river.  I  had  some  friends  in  Govern- 
ment employ  who  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  sail  about,  shooting. 
It  was  a  very  fine  place  for  water  birds,  Waders,  Egrets, 
Pelicans,  Gannets,  Skimmers,  Oyster  Catchers.,  etc.,  etc.  I  also 
spent  considerable  time  about  St.  Augustine,  here  saw  more 
Curlews,  Godwits,  Plovers,  Terns  and  many  Waders  —  they  were 
about  the  bars  by  the  thousand,  large  White  and  Blue  Herons  were 
abundant.  I  got  eight  large  White  and  three  Blue  in  one  evening. 
The  ladies  wanted  the  plumes.  You  fiud  the  roosting  places  by 
observing  the  way  the  birds  fly  at  night  or  morning ;  conceal  your- 
self about  the  trees  and  shoot  the  birds  as  fast  as  they  come 
along;  they  come  singly  or  nearly  so  and  you  can  shoot  any 
number,  or  go  to  the  breeding  places.  One  man  bought  a  little 
schooner  at  Stevens  where  I  boarded  last  spring  to  go  down 
Indian  river,  for  nothing,  only  to  shoot  the  Egrets  and  Herons, 
for  plumes,  to  send  to  Europe  and  the  states,  and  says  it  is  a 
capital  business.  The  Paroquets  have  a  way  of  hovering  about, 
when  one  or  two  are  shot,  and  the  more  that  are  wounded  and 
shot,  the  more  anxious  they  are  to  alight  about  them,  and  when  in 
large  flocks  most  every  bird  can  be  shot.  Up  at  Enterprise  last 
winter,  they  would  shoot  whole  flocks  only  for  the  sport  of  seeing 
how  many  they  could  shoot  at  a  shot,  and  unless  something  can 
be  done,  and  I  do  not  know  what,  they  will  be  exterminated. 

The  breeding  places  at  Lake  Dexter,  Lake  Jessup,  wTere  entirely 
broken  up  as  were  others  up  at  Salt  Lake,  by  plume  hunters, 
last  spring.  About  half  our  living  up  at  Enterprise  was  wild 
turkeys;  I  used  both  winters  to  weigh  many  of  them.  There  was 
a  very  great  difference  between  the  cocks  and  hens,  six  to  ten 
pounds  was  about  the  weight  of  hens ;  cocks  about  twice  as  much, 
and  often  had  them  twenty-five  to  twenty-eight  pounds  but 
they  were  very  fat.  I  saw  one  shot  within  one-half  a  mile  of  the 
Ferry  house  opposite  Jacksonville  a  few  days  before  I  left  there. 
I  find  many  of  the  Florida  birds  are  very  local.  I  would  see  birds 
at  Fernandina  not  to  be  seen  about  Jacksonville ;  at  Jacksonville 
not  to  be  found  at  Greencove  Springs,  and  so  on.  Hardly  a 
pleasant  day  I  was  not  out  to  look  and  see  if  I  could  find  any- 
thing new. 


56     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Do  you  make  any  note  of  the  animals  and  reptiles?  I  just 
received  a  paper  from  Robert  Ridgway  about  Thrush,  etc.  Have 
you  seen  it?  He  makes  two  kinds  of  Purple  Grackle;  he  is  quite 
a  nice  observer  and  scientific  fellow.  I  should  be  pleased  to  see 
your  paper  upon  the  rarer  birds  of  Massachusetts.  Some  of  your 
rare  birds  are  quite  common  here.  Did  you  ever  know  the  Purple 
Galinule  in  New  England  before  I  secured  one  last  summer?  I 
have  also  found  the  Blue  Grosbeak,  Prothouotary  Warbler,  and  I 
believe  I  wrote  you  the  Tennessee  Warbler  was  quite  a  common 
warbler ;  it  breeds  upon  the  ground.  Many  of  your  most  common 
birds  are  never  found  here  or  very  rarely.  Chewink  and  Brown 
Thrush  I  never  found;  Bluebird,  Oriole,  Field  Sparrow  very  rare, 
etc.,  etc.  As  ever  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

In  the  summer  of  1869  Mr.  Boardman  visited  Boston, 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Washington  several  times 
and  in  September  of  that  year  Prof.  Baird  visited  him  at 
St.  Stephen,  remaining  ten  days.  On  this  visit  the  two 
went  to  Oak  Bay,  Lewy's  Island,  St.  Andrews  and  other 
places  to  dig  for  Indian  relics  in  the  collection  of  which 
Prof.  Baird  was  greatly  interested. 

As  interesting  to  science,  mention  is  here  made  of  the 
great  Saxby  gale  which  visited  the  coast  of  Eastern  Maine 
and  New  Brunswick  in  the  autumn  of  1869.  It  took 
place  on  the  late  afternoon  and  evening  of  October  4  of 
that  year,  taking  its  name  from  L,ieut.  S.  M.  Saxby  of 
the  royal  navy  of  Great  Britain,  who  had  predicted  its 
occurrence  and  it  took  place  on  the  exact  date  which 
Lieut.  Saxby  had  set  for  its  coming.  It  was  a  cyclone 
and  accompanying  tidal  wave.  It  struck  the  coast  of 
Maine  at  Eastport,  doing  great  damage  at  that  place  and 
at  Calais,  while  at  St.  Stephen,  Fredericton,  St.  John 
and  Sackville,  N.  B.,  it  caused  great  damage  to  the 
coast  and  did  havoc  in  the  forests  of  the  interior.     In  his 


A  LIFE  RECORD  57 

diary  for  1869,  he  records:  "  October  4,  Saxby  gale." 
From  this  it  appears  that  Mr.  Boardman  had  read  of  its 
prediction  in  the  English  newspapers  which  he  received, 
as  L,ieut.  Saxby  had  predicted  its  occurrence  ten  months 
before  it  took  place. 

Sidney  Perley  of  Salem,  Mass.,  who  published  in  1891 
a  volume  on  the  Historic  Storms  of  New  England, 
embracing  those  from  1635  to  1890,  gives  a  chapter  to 
The  Gale  of  September  8,  1869  but  does  not  allude  to 
the  Saxby  gale  —  a  storm  the  like  of  which  never  occur- 
red in  the  section  of  country  which  it  visited,  for  severity 
and  destruction. 

Writing  to  Prof.  Baird  on  October  14,  1869,  Mr. 
Boardman  says  :  "  Nothing  like  it  ever  took  place  here. 
It  appeared  like  a  whirlwind.  It  took  the  roof  off  my 
long  woodshed,  my  old  store  and  part  of  the  roof  from 
the  barn  on  the  hill.  The  Universalist  church  was  a 
perfect  wreck ;  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  falls  in  front 
of  my  house  fell  into  the  river  ;  also  the  covered  bridge 
at  Baring.  More  than  one  hundred  buildings  in  St. 
Stephen  w7ere  ruined,  and  in  our  cemetery  more  than 
one  thousand  trees  were  uprooted  and  broken.  At  East- 
port  about  forty  buildings  were  destroyed  or  unroofed, 
several  lives  lost  and  most  all  the  fishing  crafts  were 
wrecked.  At  Eastport  and  St.  Andrews  and  about  the 
islands  the  tide  was  very  high  and  damaged  the  wharves 
much .  Sixtj^-seven  vessels  were  ashore — those  that  went 
on  to  soft  places  came  off,  many  went  on  to  the  rocks 
and  were  ruined.  The  blow  did  not  last  but  about  an 
hour  and  was  heaviest  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
There  wras  very  little  wind  at  Bangor  and  not  much  at 
St.  John."    In  a  letter  to  Prof.  Baird  of  October  29,  1869, 


58    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mr.  Boardman  writes  :  "  The  great  loss  to  this  country 
from  the  Saxby  gale  will  be  to  the  woods.  We  have  had 
some  of  our  men  up  exploring  and  they  say  they  can 
walk  ten  miles  at  a  time  on  the  trees  that  are  down  with- 
out stepping  on  the  ground.  In  some  places  for  half  a 
mile  about  every  tree  is  down.  The  bridges  and  build- 
ings can  easily  be  put  back,  but  the  woods  all  down  will 
soon  get  on  fire  and  burn  all  over  the  down  district. 
The  wind  did  not  reach  very  far  up  the  river,  only  about 
thirty  or  forty  miles  —  it  was  the  heaviest  about  the 
shores."  The  Saxby  gale  has  gone  into  history  as  one 
of  the  most  destructive  gales  that  ever  visited  the  coast  of 
this  state  and  of  New  Brunswick. 

The  years  of  1869  to  1872  were  very  happy  ones  to 
Mr.  Boardman.  They  were  indeed  among  the  happiest 
of  his  most  happy  life.  The  summers  were  spent  at  home 
and  in  visits  to  the  great  cities  where  he  loved  to  go  to 
meet  his  scientific  friends  and  study  at  the  museums, 
while  the  winters  were  spent  in  Florida.  On  January  7, 
1869,  he  left  for  Florida,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Board- 
man  and  his  son  William.  They  made  stops  of  several 
days  at  Boston  and  New  York  where  Mr.  Boardman  met 
his  old  friends  and  made  many  new  acquaintances.  In 
Washington,  at  a  party  at  Prof.  Baird's,  he  met  Hon. 
George  F.  Edmunds,  United  States  Senator  from  Ver- 
mont, Judge  Hale,  Mr.  King  and  others.  At  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  where  he  spent  five  days  he  met  for  the 
first  time  Robert  Ridgway,  Henry  Banister,  W.  H.  Dall, 
Prof.  Gibb  and  other  young  naturalists.  Townend 
Glover,  Prof.  Blake  and  Theodore  Gill  were  also  among 
those  whose  acquaintance  he  made  at  that  time.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boardman  arrived  at  Jacksonville,  January  25 
and  left  on  the  return  north,  April  6. 


A  LIFE  RECORD  59 

Mr.  Boardman  wrote  most  interesting  letters  to  Prof. 
Baird  during  his  winters  in  Florida.  In  a  letter  of  March 
14,  1869,  he  says  :  "  Florida  of  all  places  in  the  United 
States  is  most  abundantly  supplied  with  all  kinds  of 
game.  There  is  more  of  animal  life  about  Florida  than 
in  anyplace  with  which  I  am  acquainted."  Writing 
of  the  immense  mounds  and  shell  heaps  he  says  :  "  You 
will  have  to  come  down  and  see  for  yourself.  You  can 
get  a  couple  of  weeks'  vacation,  come  to  Jacksonville, 
call  for  me  and  we  can  soon  look  over  them.  I  want 
your  opinion.  I  don't  believe  in  Wyman,  only  Baird." 
In  a  letter  written  April  5,  of  this  year,  in  which  he 
described  a  box  of  skins  he  had  sent  to  Prof.  Baird, 
occurs  this  :  ' '  One  poor  little  specimen  of  a  warbler  in 
the  box  I  did  not  know  ;  he  looked  very  like  a  Tennessee 
Warbler  but  I  was  not  sure."  Here  is  reference  to  a 
3roung  naturalist  who  afterward  became  prominent.  He 
is  writing  to  Prof.  Baird,  April  1,  1869:  "  I  saw  Mr. 
Maynard  of  Massachusetts  down  collecting.  Said  he  had 
found  a  new  Chewink  or  Ground  Robin  —  took  fifty  speci- 
mens, male,  female  and  young,  all  with  white  eyes, 
smaller  size,  outer  tail  feathers  not  white.  I  did  not  see 
them  as  he  had  sent  them  north.  He  says  he  got  a  White 
Heron  not  described.  He  collected  at  Indian  River."  A 
single  letter  from  Mr.  Boardman  to  Prof.  Baird  is  a  good 
specimen  of  the  many  letters  he  sent  to  his  correspondents 
while  at  the  South  : 

Enterprise,  Feb.  28,  1869. 
Dear  Baird: 

I  received  your  letter  some  time  since  and  for  the  most  of  the 
time  have  been  running  about,  and  have  not  had  a  very  good  chance 
to  write,  but  have  had  a  very  good  time  boating,  fishing,  shooting, 
etc.,  etc. 


60    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

We  usually  leave  here  in  a  small  boat  after  breakfast,  take 
dinner  with  us,  and  go  off,  up  or  down  the  river  for  the  day, 
and  since  I  have  been  in  Florida  have  only  had  one-half  day 
rainy  weather  to  keep  me  in  the  house ;  there  has  been  a  rainy 
night  or  two.  The  weather  is  splendid.  Orange  blossoms  just 
going  off  the  trees.  I  will  give  you  our  yesterday's  boat  cruise 
which  will  be  something  like  most  every  day  only  we  often  get 
different  game.  Yesterday  we  shot  two  Alligators,  two  Wid- 
geons, Blue  Wingteal,  Ruddy  Duck,  Blackhead,  six  Quails,  White 
Egret,  White  Ibis  and  a  fish  basket  full  of  Yellow  Legs,  Killdee, 
Snipe,  Woodpeckers  and  small  fry  generally  with  half  a  dozen 
Paroquets.  While  speaking  of  the  latter  bird  I  think  it  must  soon 
be  almost  exterminated.  Everybody  coming  to  Florida  brings 
from  one  to  three  guns  and  they  shoot  every  bird  that  comes 
within  range  and  this  bird  when  one  is  shot  returns  again  and 
again,  until  almost  every  bird  is  shot  down.  One  of  our  boarders 
last  week  shot  forty  in  a  few  moments  and  knew  nine  shot  at  one 
discharge  Friday.  It  is  murder  to  destroy  so  pretty  a  bird  for 
sport  as  they  can  do  nothing  with  them.  You  know  I  told  you 
last  spring  of  flocks  of  birds  with  white  bodies  and  dark  wings. 
When  flying  they  show  a  pure  white  body  and  dark  wings.  I 
find  they  are  an  Ibis,  probably  the  White  Ibis  in  immature 
plumage.  We  shot  one  yesterday  and  I  have  had  several ;  they 
go  in  large  flocks,  most  all  in  the  dark  wing  plumage.  I  have  made 
a  couple  of  skins  of  this  plumage  as  I  don't  remember  seeing  one 
in  your  case. 

I  found  Allen  last  week.  He  and  two  men  are  camping 
about  seven  miles  below  here ;  have  been  collecting  all  the  way 
up  the  river  and  intend  to  remain  where  they  are  for  ten  days. 
They  did  not  expect  to  go  up  any  further,  but  I  told  them  of  a 
very  interesting  island  in  Lake  Jessup  where  birds  breed  in  large 
numbers,  Egrets,  Cranes,  Herons,  etc.  I  went  up  a  couple  of 
weeks  ago  and  some  expect  to  go  again  before  I  leave.  Allen's 
party  have  about  two  hundred  skins,  nothing  very  rare.  They 
have  three  Ivorybills  and  one  Florida  Jay.  Mrs.  B.  and  Willie 
returned  to  Jacksonville  Wednesday.  I  shall  probably  be  here 
another  week,  then  go  down  river.  I  have  made  quite  a  good  lot 
of  skins  for  you  here  that  will  please  you.    The  ladies  at  the  house 


A  LIFE  RECORD  61 

are  crazy  for  birds,  wings,  etc.  This  is  a  large  hotel,  accommo- 
dates about  one  hundred  and  as  nice  a  set  as  you  find  at  any  of  the 
northern  watering  places.  Half  my  time  is  taken  up  with  mount- 
ing and  fixing  wiugs.  We  have  no  rainy  or  stormy  days  so  have 
to  go  shooting  days  and  work  nights.  Old  Indian  mounds  and 
shell  heaps  in  every  direction  often  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep. 
Come  down  and  dig.  With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy, 
I  am  as  ever,  Yours, 

G.   A.   BOARDMAN. 

Mr.  Boardman  had  been  very  much  interested  in  the 
effort  which  the  Smithsonian  officials  had  been  making 
for  a  Congressional  appropriation  for  a  new  building. 
Prof.  Baird  was  foremost  in  this  work  before  the  com- 
mittee and  on  March  7,  1869,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  him 
to  congratulate  him  upon  "getting  your  appropriation 
for  the  new  museum.  I  thought  at  one  time  you  would 
hardly  get  it  through.  Fortune  always  favors  the  brave. 
I  thought  all  winter  it  was  a  mean  Congress,  but  I  like 
the  members  better  now." 

In  August  and  September  of  that  year  Prof.  Baird  and 
family  spent  several  weeks  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman 
and  together  they  visited  the  most  attractive  places  for  out- 
door excursions  about  St.  Stephen  and  Calais.  This 
visit  of  the  Bairds  was  most  enjoyable  to  all.  Mr.  Board- 
man  and  his  wife  were  delightful  hosts,  were  constant  in 
their  attentions  to  guests  and  did  everything  possible  to 
make  their  visits  occasions  of  happiness.  On  this  visit 
of  the  Bairds,  every  pleasant  day,  rides,  calls  and  excur- 
sions were  planned  and  enjoyed.  On  dull  or  rainy  days 
the  two  friends  were  delightfully  employed.  Mr.  Board- 
man  records:  "  September  6  —  Very  fine  day.  Went 
down  to  the  Simpsons.  Had  a  gay  time  —  picnic  and 
digging  for  Indian  relics."     Another  day  they  went  to 


62    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Conners'  place  at  Oak  Bay.  September  8  was  "  a  rainy, 
dull  day;  labelled  some  birds  with  Prof.  Baird."  The 
following  day  was  one  of  very  high  wind  and  the  two 
naturalists  "numbered  and  labelled  eggs  all  the  after- 
noon." September  10  was  dull  and  foggy  and  they 
"arranged  the  bird  collection  "  in  the  bird  house.  What 
happy  days  were  those  !  And  so  the  brief  records  in  the 
diary  go  on  until  the  Bairds  left  for  Washington  ;  the 
days  became  shorter  and  Mr.  Boardman  again  made 
plans  for  visiting  the  south. 

On  the  last  day  of  December,  1869,  Mr.  Boardman  left 
home  for  Florida.  Mrs.  Boardman  did  not  accompany 
him  on  this  visit  as,  from  a  letter  to  Prof.  Baird  written 
from  Boston,  January  3,  1870,  "Charley  and  his  wife 
were  to  board  with  her"  during  the  winter.  While  in 
Boston  he  purchased  large  quantities  of  supplies  to  take 
south  with  him.  Reaching  Washington  he  remained  a 
week,  working  at  the  Smithsonian  and  visiting  friends. 
One  entry  from  his  diary,  that  for  January  14,  is  a  sample 
of  many  made  at  that  time  :  "  Worked  assorting  eggs 
all  day  at  the  Smithsonian."  On  his  journey  south 
he  stopped  at  Richmond,  Wilmington,  Charleston  and 
Savannah  and  reached  Fernandina  on  Januar}^  20.  Writ- 
ing to  Prof.  Baird  from  Charleston,  January  17,  he  saj^s  : 
"Tell  Mrs.  Baird  I  hardly  know  how  we  should  have 
got  along  without  the  sandwiches.  They  were  just  the 
thing.  Yesterday  a  boy  came  into  the  cars  to  sell  wine 
and  on  the  seat  we  had  the  sandwiches  and  two  kinds  of 
wine.  So  you  may  be  assured  we  drank  to  our  friends' 
health."  The  winter  was  spent  at  Jacksonville,  Hibernia, 
Greencove  Springs,  Orange  Bluff,  Valusia  and  other 
places.  In  a  letter  to  Prof.  Baird,  dated  February  6,  he 
writes : 


A  LIFE  RECORD  63 

IIir.EKMA,  Fla.,  Feb.  6,  1870. 
Dear  Baird  : 

I  want  to  tell  you  what  an  exceedingly  good  place  I  am  in 
to  collect  common  birds.  It  was  many  years  ago  an  old  planta- 
tion, now  grown  up  scantily  to  trees ;  no  underbrush  and  very 
good  walking.  The  trees  are  full  of  birds,  nothing  very  rare,  but 
you  can  hardly  go  half  a  mile  from  the  house  without  seeing  more 
than  fifty  different  kinds  of  birds;  a  good  many  Warblers  and 
Woodpeckers,  but  not  many  water  birds,  except  ducks  about  the 
river.  I  expect  we  shall  go  into  camp  in  about  ten  days;  are 
waiting  for  a  New  York  man  who  is  to  go  with  us. 

I  think  this  would  be  a  nice  place  to  collect  eggs.  I  never 
saw  such  an  abundance  of  old  nests.  I  have  engaged  a  young 
man  to  look  after  them.  I  see  many  woodpeckers'  holes  and  if 
the  boy  tries  he  can  get  some  good  eggs.  One  of  the  red-bellied 
kind  is  now  digging  a  hole  next  the  house  and  the  red  cockade 
must  nest  all  about.  He  tells  me  that  the  Red  Wing  remains  here 
all  summer,  also  the  Bluebird.  One  cuckoo  and  several  kinds  of 
blackbirds,  also  inaDy  of  the  hawks  are  found  all  summer.  The 
only  duck  that  remains  is  the  Wood  Duck,  he  thinks.  I  will  leave 
him  my  drills  and  blow-pipe  and  hope  he  may  get  some  eggs  new 
to  your  collection  and  I  will  collect  some  Florida  birds  for  Ilidg- 
way  to  compare  with  the  northern.  I  have  some  blackbirds,  I 
think  of  northern  and  southern,  as  they  differ  considerably  in  size. 
I  am  yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Here  is  an  extract  from  another  letter  of  about  the 
same  date  as  the  preceding :  "I  find  birds  are  very  local 
in  their  habits  in  Florida.  I  find  different  birds  at  Jack- 
sonville from  even  Greencove  Springs,  and  then  different 
at  Palatka  from  what  they  are  at  St.  Augustine ;  another 
kind  at  Enterprise."  On  March  30,  Mr.  Boardman 
writes  to  Prof.  Baird  that  he  intends  to  leave  in  a  day  or 
two  for  the  north  and  ' '  be  along  toward  Washington  by 
Saturday  or  Sunday  night  unless  detained  on  the  way. 
If  you  have  a  spare  bed  for  a  night  or  two  I  will  occupy 


64    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

it;  if  not,  all  well."  He  left  for  home  April  2,  reaching 
Washington  April  4 ;  attended  a  party  at  Prof.  Baird's 
April  5,  reached  Calais  April  21  and  the  following  day 
"  called  all  round  to  see  the  folks." 

The  summer  of  1870  was  passed  quietly  at  home. 
Mr.  Boardman  did  not  at  first  intend  to  go  south  in  the 
winter  of  1870-71,  but  as  cold  weather  approached  he 
was  anxious  to  get  upon  his  favorite  winter  collecting 
ground.  Even  so  late  as  October  16,  1870,  he  wrote  to 
Prof.  Baird  :  "I  am  not  certain  about  going  south  again 
this  winter  but  think  perhaps  I  may.  Mrs.  Boardman 
and  Willie  will  probably  go  with  me  if  I  go.  I  must  try  to 
go  to  some  new  locality  as  I  am  too  much  at  home  about 
Jacksonville. ' '  But  on  December  2,  he  writes  his  friend  : 
"  We  hope  to  leave  for  the  south  the  last  day  of  this 
month  if  all  is  well,"  and  they  did,  it  being  the  same 
date  on  which  they  left  the  previous  year.  He  adds  : 
' '  I  shall  not  want  to  make  much  of  a  stay  in  Washing- 
ton, having  been  there  so  often.  We  shall  wear  our 
welcome  out  and  I  shall  not  be  a  rare  curiosity  at  the 
Smithsonian."  On  this  trip  to  the  south  Mrs.  Board- 
man  and  their  son  William  B.  who  was  then  nine  years 
old,  accompanied  Mr.  Boardman.  They  reached  Wash- 
ington January  11,  1871,  remaining  five  or  six  days. 
Mr.  Boardman  spent  the  time  at  the  Smithsonian  and 
also  attended  receptions  at  Prof.  Baird's  and  at  Senator 
Edmunds' .  Jacksonville  was  reached  January  19.  The 
winter  was  spent  at  Jacksonville,  with  visits  to  Palatka, 
St.  Augustine,  Hibernia  and  other  places,  where,  accord- 
ing to  entries  in  his  diary,  he  "called  all  round  to  see 
friends."  March  8  he  "picked  orange  blossoms"  and 
March  28  "  shot  eleven  cedar  birds  at  one  shot."    They 


A  LIFE  RECORD  65 

left  for  the  north  April  8  and,  after  brief  visits  at  Wash- 
ington, New  York  and  Boston,  reached  home  April  21. 
The  summer  was  spent  at  home  and  was  exceedingly 
quiet. 

The  winter  of  1872  was  spent  in  Florida,  Mr.  Boardmau 
having  left  home  January  8  and  arrived  at  Jacksonville 
January  26.  It  was  one  of  the  busiest  and  happiest 
winters  Mr.  Boardman  ever  spent  at  the  south.  Among 
the  places  visited  were  Hibernia,  Magnolia,  Port  Royal, 
Enterprise,  Orange  Bluff,  Lemon  Bluff  and  St.  John 
Bluff.  He  went  up  the  St.  John  river  to  Lake  Jessup, 
Lake  Widner  and  Lake  Washington.  There  was  hardly 
a  day,  Sunday  excepted,  when  Mr.  Boardman  was  not 
busy  with  his  sport  and  collecting,  down  to  the  time  he 
left  for  the  north,  April  12. 

His  diary  for  this  winter  is  full  of  most  interesting 
records.  Among  the  birds  shot  were :  Snipe,  Florida 
jays,  ducks,  wild  turkeys,  plover,  white  heron,  blue 
cranes,  gannets,  night  herons,  pelicans,  wood  ibis  ;  while 
he  also  records  shooting  alligators  and  deer.  March  8, 
he  records:  "Shot  birds  all  day;"  and  March  9,  he 
records  :  "  Shot  birds  all  day  ;  deer,  turkey  and  snipe 
plenty."  Other  records  are:  "Skinned  birds  all  the 
forenoon." 

If  the  winter  of  this  year  was  full  of  enjoyment  to  Mr. 
Boardman  the  summer  was  equally  full  of  pleasure. 
Prof.  Baird  and  his  family  made  the  Boardmans  three  or 
four  visits  and  their  house  was  full  of  guests  much  of 
the  time.  Prof.  Baird  was  passing  the  summer  at  East- 
port  and  with  his  family  he  visited  Mr.  Boardman  in 
June.  Again  in  August  the  Bairds  and  the  Boardmans 
made  a  visit  to  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia  and  Prince 


66    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Edward  Island,  going  to  St.  John,  Halifax,  Annapolis, 
Charlottetown  and  Summerside,  calling  upon  scientific 
friends  and  visiting  at  St.  John  the  natural  history 
museum.  Again  in  September,  before  leaving  for  Wash- 
ington, Prof,  and  Mrs.  Baird  again  visited  the  Board- 
mans. 

After  having  spent  several  weeks  with  friends  in  Boston 
and  Brookline,  Mass.,  in  the  early  winter  of  1872-73,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boardman  left  for  Florida  January  6  and,  without 
stopping  at  Washington,  reached  Jacksonville  January 
14.  His  diary  shows  that  after  arriving  and  having  made 
calls  upon  all  his  friends  Mr.  Boardman  at  once  com- 
menced his  favorite  pursuits  of  shooting,  skinning  birds 
and  mounting  specimens.  This  was  his  constant  employ- 
ment and  the  records  in  his  diary  show  what  birds  he 
shot  and  mounted  each  day.  On  February  10,  1873,  the 
little  steamer  Clifton  was  launched.  She  was  built  in 
Philadelphia  by  a  party  of  gentlemen  from  Clifton  Springs, 
N.  Y.,  among  whom  was  Dr.  Henry  Foster,  head  of  the 
Sanatorium  at  that  place,  who  was  one  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  intimate  friends,  the  two  having  been  together  in 
Florida  for  two  winters.  The  places  on  the  upper  St. 
Johns  river  were  then  comparatively  wild  and  game  was 
abundant.  Mr.  Boardman  went  farther  up  the  river 
that  winter  in  the  Clifton  than  any  sporting  party  had 
been  previously.  The  Clifton  only  drew  twenty  inches 
of  water  ;  she  had  a  crew  of  three  men  and  had  accom- 
modations for  a  party  of  six.  In  a  chapter  contributed 
by  Mr.  Boardman  to  camp  life  in  Florida,  published  at 
New  York  in  1876,  he  says  he  was  on  board  of  her  for 
two  winters  and  had  a  splendid  time.  "  Such  a  boat," 
he  says,   "can  go  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  St.  Johns 


A  LIFE  RECORD  67 

river,  above  where  hunters  generally  go  and  where 
game  is  plenty.  Such  bird  suppers  as  Reuben  could  get 
up  I  never  expect  to  see  again."  After  spending  a  very 
pleasant  winter  south,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  left  for 
the  north  April  3  and  arrived  home  May  2.  The  very 
next  day,  as  was  his  usual  custom,  he  ' '  went  all  round 
to  see  friends"  and  also  went  to  get  Mayflowers.  The 
summer  was  spent  quietly  at  home  and  the  diary  records 
days  of  shooting,  what  birds  were  obtained  and  how 
man}',  with  work  in  the  bird  house,  mounting  and  send- 
ing away  specimens  to  his  friends  and  correspondents, 
labelling  eggs  and  skins  with  other  similar  details  of 
employments  in  which  he  delighted. 

That  well-known  sporting  and  natural  history  journal, 
Forest  and  Stream,  was  established  by  his  friend  and 
correspondent,  Mr.  Charles  Hallock  who  was  its  editor 
for  many  years.  The  first  number  was  dated  August  11, 
1873  and  Mr.  Boardman's  name  was  the  second  one  placed 
upon  its  subscription  books.  In  number  five  of  that  jour- 
nal, dated  September  11,  appears  an  article  by  Mr.  Board- 
man,  written  in  answer  to  a  request  from  Mr.  Hallock, 
entitled  Attractions  of  Natural  History,  which  is  here 
given.     It  is  signed  George  A.  Boardman  (Naturalist): 

I  am  more  than  pleased  with  the  first  two  numbers  of  the 
Forest  and  Stream.  Such  a  paper,  I  think,  is  very  much  needed 
to  educate  our  people  to  out-door  exercises  and  sports  and  to  the 
study  of  natural  history  in  some  of  its  branches.  To  the  lover  of 
the  beautiful  —  to  one  who  delights  in  the  gay,  bright  beings  of 
nature,  ornithology  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  blanches  of 
Natural  Science.  How  little  most  people  know  of  the  number  and 
variety  of  birds  that  annually  visit  every  part  of  our  extended 
clime,  or  are  even  aware  how  many  spend  the  summer  in  our 
immediate  vicinity. 


68    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

We  little  think  that  any  time  we  walk  in  our  grounds  and 
gardens  we  are  intruding  upon  rare  and  elegant  visitants  from 
Mexico,  Central  South  America,  Florida  and  the  islands  of  the 
sea,  but  such  is  the  case,  and  one  that  passes  through  life  with- 
out a  knowledge  of  the  feathered  creatures  constantly  surround- 
ing him,  in  the  fields  and  woods,  rendered  vocal  with  their  songs, 
watching  the  patience  and  care  in  providing  for  their  young,  loses 
one  of  the  chief  means  by  which  his  own  existence  might  be  made 
more  cheerful,  happy  and  contented  and  fails  to  understand  one  of 
the  most  pleasing  and  attractive  of  the  creations  of  Omnipotence. 
How  important  for  the  sportsman  to  know  the  history  and  habits 
of  his  feathered  friends  so  as  not  be  let  to  slaughter  them  out  of 
season.  And  the  agriculturist,  after  failing  crops  and  barren  fields, 
only  learns  the  errors  he  has  committed  in  the  destruction  of  his 
little  help  mates,  by  the  life  and  vigor  it  has  given  to  the  grubs 
and  insects  that  now  overrun  his  fields.  Our  English  friends 
I  think  are  much  in  advance  of  us  in  their  papers  upon  Natural 
Science.  But  now  with  the  help  of  the  Forest  and  Stream  which 
I  hope  may  go  into  every  family,  we  may  try  to  surpass  our 
English  friends  in  the  study  of  natural  science  and  know  the 
benefits  of  out-door  recreation  and  physical  culture. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  Mr.  Boardman  made  a  trip  to 
California,  leaving  home  March  2,  bearing  an  introduc- 
tion from  Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  In  sending  this  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr. 
Boardman,  Prof.  Baird  writes  :  "I  hope  this  will  bring 
you  in  communication  with  the  scientifics  of  that  state. 
Dall  is  there,  having  just  returned  from  the  South  coast 
and  will  be  very  glad  to  see  you.  I  hope  you  will  return 
by  way  of  Washington  so  as  to  give  us  an  account  of 
your  adventures.  Please  pick  up  whatever  you  can  for 
us  of  rare  birds  and  eggs,  Indian  relics  and  the  like." 
Enclosed  in  the  letter  is  a  list  of  persons  to  whom  the . 
introduction  was  to  be  presented.  Among  them  were  : 
R.  E.  C.  Stearns,  I.W.  Raymond,  Prof.  George  Davidson, 


p 


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r 
^ 


^3 


A  LIFE  RECORD  69 

Wm.  H.  Dall,  Prof.  J.  D.  Whitney,  Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper, 
Dr.  Win.  0.  Ayres,  R.  B.  Woodward,  Ferdinand  Grieber 
and  John  Williamson.  On  this  visit  Mr.  Boardman  went 
to  Sacramento,  San  Francisco  and  Oakland.  He  also 
visited  St.  Helena  and  the  White  Sulphur  Springs,  went 
to  the  petrified  forest  and  the  geysers  where  he  ' '  took  a 
steam  bath  and  walked  up  the  mountain."  While  in 
California  he  did  some  collecting  and  mounted  some 
birds.  He  reached  home  on  May  15  of  that  year.  At 
the  close  of  his  diary  for  the  year  is  the  memorandum  : 
"Game  shot,  1874— 19  duck,  48  partridge,  111  wood- 
cock, 78  snipe." 

Portions  of  the  winters  of  1875,  1876  and  1877  were 
spent,  as  had  quite  become  Mr.  Boardman's  custom,  in 
Florida.  He  did  not  leave  home  in  1875  until  February 
10  and,  returning  on  May  7,  again  left  for  the  south 
December  20  of  the  same  year.  It  was  after  his  winter 
in  Florida  of  that  year  that  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  that 
chapter  of  his  experiences  which  appears  in  Mr.  Hal- 
lock's  Camp  Life  in  Florida  which  gives  so  graphic  an 
account  of  winter  life  in  the  land  which  he  loved  next  to 
that  of  his  own  northern  home.  The  winter  of  1875-76 
he  remained  in  Florida  until  the  first  of  April,  being 
nearly  a  month  on  the  homeward  journey,  reaching  St. 
Stephen  May  5,  1876.  Again  on  December  26,  1876, 
Mr.  Boardman  started  for  the  south.  In  the  early  winter 
of  1875  he  was  in  Florida  but  a  few  days  more  than  two 
months,  spending  the  time  at  Jacksonville,  Arlington 
and  Greencove  Springs.  On  his  return  he  made  his  usual 
visits  to  scientific  friends  at  Washington,  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  at  the  latter  place  always  visiting  the 


70   THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Central  Park  and  at  Washington  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution. Mr.  Boardman's  visits  south  during  1876  and 
1877  were  but  a  repetition  of  those  of  previous  years. 
He  was  happy  in  meeting  his  many  friends,  happy  in 
his  collecting,  being  always  on  the  watch  for  something 
new,  packing  and  sending  away  boxes  of  specimens, 
while  his  ever  genial  temperament  found  many  occasions 
for  giving  pleasure  to  those  whom  he  met.  Writing 
letters  to  friends  was  a  pastime  he  much  enjoyed  and  his 
correspondence  took  much  of  his  time.  In  September 
and  October,  1876,  Mr.  Boardman  spent  a  week  at  the 
Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  for  some  days 
being  in  company  with  Prof.  Baird.  During  his  winter 
at  the  south  this  year  he  was  joined  by  Prof.  Baird  and 
Dr.  Foster  and  these  friends  had  a  fine  time  together 
for  two  weeks  in  the  month  of  April.  On  Mr.  Boardman's 
return  north,  while  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  he  "  went  up  in 
a  little  steamer  to  Magnolia  and  Draton  Hall  to  see  the 
flowers;  gone  all  day"  —  as  he  records  in  his  diary. 
When  in  Washington  he  attended  a  dinner  party  at 
Senator  Edmunds',  accompanied  by  the  Bairds.  In  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1877  he  visited  Fredericton,  St.  John, 
Halifax,  Pictou,  Summerside  and  Shediac. 

Mr.  Boardman  had  now  spent  eight  winters  in  Florida. 
Splendid  field  naturalist  that  he  was  before  he  went 
there,  he  had  added  largely  to  his  knowledge  of  birds  by 
these  visits  and  had  by  eight  years'  collecting  and  study 
of  birds  in  their  southern  homes,  become  very  familiar 
with  the  ornithology  of  the  south  and  with  the  migratory 
habits  and  climatic  range  of  our  native  birds.  He  had 
also  spent  one  spring  in  California.  During  his  journeys 
to  and  from  his  home  and  the  south  he  had  made  visits 


A  UFE  RECORD  71 

of  more  or  less  duration  at  Washington  where  he  had 
spent  much  time  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  had 
become  acquainted  with  many  of  its  force  of  scientific 
workers.  But  in  order  to  more  thoroughly  study  the 
bird  collections  at  the  Smithsonian  he  had  planned  for 
some  years  to  spend  an  entire  winter  in  Washington, 
thus  supplementing  his  keen  and  accurate  knowledge 
obtained  from  field  study  by  a  careful  comparison  of 
specimens  in  the  Smithsonian  museum. 

Accordingly  it  was  decided  that  the  winter  of  1878 
should  be  spent  in  Washington  and  on  January  3  of  that 
year,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Boardman,  he  left  for  the 
national  capital  where  they  arrived  January  5,  taking 
rooms  at  1217  I  Street.  They  remained  at  Washington 
until  April  5,  when  they  started  on  the  return  home, 
reaching  Milltown,  N.  B.,  April  16. 

The  winter  spent  in  Washington  was  a  most  delightful 
one  to  Mr.  Boardman.  He  was  at  the  Smithsonian  nearly 
every  day  engaged  in  study  or  in  work  —  in  examining 
the  collections  for  his  own  benefit  and  instruction  or  in 
assisting  at  naming  and  arranging  the  new  things  being 
constantly  received.  He  also  attended  the  scientific 
meetings  —  as  he  records  in  his  diary  —  met  the  Institu- 
tion workers — Prof.  Baird,  Elliot,  Henshaw,  Ridgway, 
Hayden,  Myers,  Coues  and  others  and  enjoyed  the  soci- 
ety of  his  many  friends  at  the  national  capital.  He  was 
often  at  Prof.  Baird's  to  dinner,  spent  many  of  his  even- 
ings there  and  made  frequent  visits  to  Senators  Hamlin 
and  Edmunds,  Mr.  Blaine  and  other  prominent  person- 
ages in  Washington  society.  Mr.  Boardman  was  widely 
known  as  the  Maine  naturalist  and  had  entrance  to  the 
select  scientific  circle  at  that  great  centre  of  science, 


72     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

while  the  charming  manners  of  Mrs.  Boardman  endeared 
her  to  all  and  together  they  attended  dinner  parties  and 
receptions  at  several  places  where  they  were  always 
esteemed  guests.  Thus  to  the  solid  enjoyment  of  the 
study  of  science  were  added  the  charms  of  society  of 
which  Mr.  Boardman  was  fond  and  to  which  he  con- 
tributed so  much  of  pleasure  to  both  host  and  guests. 

During  most  of  the  winter  which  Mr.  Boardman  had 
spent  in  Washington,  Prof.  Joseph  Henry,  who  had  been 
secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  for  a  period  of 
thirty-two  years,  had  been  in  failing  health.  On  reach- 
ing his  home  in  Milltown  that  spring,  Mr.  Boardman 
received  a  letter  from  Prof.  Baird  informing  him  of  Prof. 
Henry's  death  which  took  place  May  13,  1878  and  also 
of  his  own  election  as  Prof.  Henry's  successor.  In  a 
letter  to  Prof.  Baird,  dated  May  22  of  that  year,  Mr. 
Boardman  wrote:  "I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  the  death  of 
Prof.  Henry ;  although  knowing  how  ill  he  was  when  we 
left  Washington  I  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  read  of  his 
death.  I  was  much  pleased  at  the  vote  you  received  to 
make  you  the  head  of  the  institution  —  the  office  that 
you  have  richly  earned."  This  extract  from  Mr.  Board- 
man's  letter  is  most  characteristic  of  the  man — plain, 
straightforward  and  business-like,  with  no  attempt  at 
undue  praise  or  eulogy,  just  the  simple,  sincere  expres- 
sion of  a  true  friend  unused  to  the  multiplication  of  words 
on  any  occasion,  but  making  use  of  plain  sentences  full 
of  meaning.  A  memorandum  at  the  close  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  diary  for  1878  gives  a  list  of  fifty-six  names  of 
naturalists  with  whom  he  had  been  in  correspondence 
during  the  year.  Tbe  list  embraces  many  names  of 
persons  eminent  in  science  in  this  country,  in  New 
Brunswick,  in  Nova  Scotia  and  in  England. 


A  UFE  RECORD  73 

The  year  1879  was  spent  by  Mr.  Boardraan  at  home. 
There  was  hardly  a  day  down  to  the  first  of  September 
that  he  did  not  go  to  his  favorite  shooting  grounds,  work 
in  his  bird  house,  send  off  a  box  of  specimens  to  some 
friend  or  write  several  letters  to  some  one  of  the  many 
naturalists  with  whom  he  kept  up  a  correspondence. 
His  diary  shows  that  during  the  winter  he  worked  much 
in  his  bird  house,  drove  out  almost  every  day,  visited 
friends  and  went  skating  —  a  sport  of  which  he  was  fond. 
As  the  spring  came  on  the  entries  in  his  diary  become 
more  interesting.  April  22  he  "  saw  a  snake  on  the  snow. ' ' 
The  first  martins  came  April  26,  April  28  he  went  out 
after  snipe  and  "got  a  few."  He  went  often  to  the 
Maguerrawock  and  Mohannes  streams  —  his  favorite 
resorts  for  water  birds.  He  records  :  "  May  19  —  went 
up  to  Uncle  Steve's  woods  ;  got  warblers,  several  kinds  ; 
named  all  when  I  got  home."  In  June  Mr.  Boardman 
made  a  short  visit  to  Boston  and  New  York.  Through 
June  and  July  he  was  out  shooting  nearly  every  day  and 
his  diary  records  getting  woodcock,  young  hermit  thrush, 
wood  duck,  house  wren,  snipe  and  other  birds. 

On  September  4,  while  out  shooting  at  Clark's,  Mr. 
Boardman  had  the  misfortune  to  injure  one  of  his  knees. 
How  it  occurred  is  not  recalled  but  he  records  it  in  his 
diary  as  a  "bad  accident"  — and  it  must  have  been  a 
bad  one,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  so  written.  In  the 
same  entry  he  says  :  "  Saw  many  woodcock ;  got  two." 
The  day  following,  however,  finding  himself  greatly 
disabled,  he  sent  for  Doctor  Knowles  to  attend  him. 
The  result  was  that,  although  Mr.  Boardman  drove  out 
almost  daily  during  the  fall  of  1879,  worked  in  his  bird 
house,    mounted    some    specimens,    was  present    at  the 


74    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

meetings  of  the  directors  of  corporations  of  which  he  was 
a  member  and  attended  to  his  usual  business  duties,  he 
was  prevented  from  ordinary  work  and  at  the  close  of 
the  year  he  records  :  ' '  Lame  knee  has  kept  me  on 
crutches  since  4  September."  It  did,  in  fact,  keep  him 
on  crutches  for  nearly  six  months  beyond  the  time  at 
which  that  record  was  made.  His  list  of  correspondents 
for  the  year  comprises  forty -three  names,  nearly  all  of 
them  those  of  leading  naturalists  of  this  country  and 
abroad. 

Late  in  the  spring  of  1880  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman 
left  for  the  west,  arriving  in  Minneapolis  where  four  of 
their  children  were  then  living,  on  May  7.  Three  days 
afterward,  as  he  records  in  his  diary,  Mr.  Boardman 
went  for  birds,  getting  grosbeaks,  orioles,  jays,  etc. 
Almost  every  day  for  several  weeks  following  he  went 
birding  every  forenoon  and  in  the  afternoon  worked  at 
skinning  and  mounting  birds.  Among  the  entries  in 
his  diary  are:  "Got  orioles,  rose-breasted  and  scarlet 
tanagers;"  "went  to  Minnesota  bottoms  —  shot  duck, 
quail,  yellow  headed  blackbirds;"  "got  white  king- 
bird ;  "  "  went  to  Lake  Calhoun  ;  seven  black  terns,  two 
yellow  heads,  two  orioles,  larks,  blackbirds  ;  "  "  dinner 
at  Albert's  —  had  mallard  ducks  ;  "  "  went  to  Minnesota 
bottoms  with  Willie  —  shot  yellow-head  blackbirds, 
scarlet  tanager,  grosbeaks  and  larks."  While  on  this 
visit  he  lost  no  time  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
birds  of  the  west,  both  in  the  field  and  at  the  collection 
of  the  University  of  Minnesota  where  he  spent  many 
days.  A  letter  to  Prof.  Baird  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  his  impressions  of  the  western  fauna.  He  was  yet 
suffering  from  the  accident  to  his  knee  and  was  obliged 
to  use  crutches,  as  a  reference  in  the  letter  will  indicate  : 


A  LIFE  RECORD  75 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  May  21,  1880. 
My  Dear  Professor: 

I  know  I  owe  you  a  letter  and  should  have  written  before  I 
left  home ;  had  I  had  much  of  any  news  to  communicate  should 
have  done  so. 

We  have  been  here  two  weeks  to-day,  found  the  boys  and 
families  all  well  and  very  glad  to  see  us. 

I  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  how  much  more  forward 
vegetation  was  than  with  us  in  the  same  parallel.  We  found  in 
the  first  week  of  May  the  trees  nearly  leaved  out  and  trees  in  full 
bloom  about  the  same  as  we  see  in  southern  Massachusetts  or 
Connecticut.  The  boys  at  the  University  found  thirty-four  differ- 
ent kinds  of  wild  flowers  in  the  first  week  in  May.  We  could 
hardly  do  that  in  New  Brunswick.  We  are  much  pleased  with 
the  looks  of  the  country ;  it  is  quite  warm  but  the  air  is  delight- 
ful. Mrs.  Boardman  is  in  love  with  the  country.  We  find  very 
many  of  our  old  down  east  neighbors  and  we  see  about  as  man}- 
old  acquaintances  as  at  home,  so  many  of  the  men  that  have  been 
in  my  employ  years  ago  come  west.  We  are  full  of  callers  all  the 
time.  I  have  been  riding  all  about.  See  lots  of  nice  birds,  many 
nearly  new  to  me.  Yellow-headed  blackbirds  are  very  abundant, 
black  tern  by  the  thousands,  every  little  lake  hovering  about  like 
swallows.  Rose  breasted  grosbeaks  very  abundant  as  well  as 
orioles  and  some  scarlet  tanagers.  The  warblers  had  mostly  gone 
north.  I  got  one  Cape  May  and  they  appear  quite  common. 
One  lake  near  here  there  is  an  island  where  hundreds  of  blue 
heron  are  now  breeding.  Double  crested  cormorants  breed  ou 
the  same  trees,  and  blackbirds  in  the  foundation  of  same  nests. 

If  my  locomotion  was  better  I  should  enjoy  being  here  in  the 
spring  collecting,  but  can  walk  but  a  little  distance ;  am  getting 
better  most  every  day.  Hope  to  be  well  enough  in  a  few  weeks 
to  go  up  to  Fargo  and  perhaps  up  the  Red  River  to  Winnipeg.  I 
should  enjoy  the  sail  up  but  hear  mosquitoes  are  very  plenty. 
The  fish  are  most  of  them  new  to  a  Bay  of  Fundv  chap.  The  bass 
do  not  look  like  the  Florida  fish,  and  the  Minneapolis  folks  get 
very  good  fish  from  Lake  Superior,  some  very  large  and  good  eat- 
ing fish.  1  see  reports  of  Prof.  Goode  and  your  fish  exhibition. 
Have  no  doubt  they  will  be  a  credit  to  the  country.    I  expect  you 


76    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

are  beginning  to  make  a  good  show  in  the  new  building  by  this 
time;  hope  to  see  it  next  fall.  All  join  in  much  love  to  you, 
Mrs.  B.,  Lucy  and  all  the  friends. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

On  this  visit  west  Mr.  Boardman  went  to  Fargo  and 
returning,  was  active  in  his  study  of  western  birds  in  the 
few  days  before  leaving  for  home.  He  went  to  Lake 
Minnetonka  where  he  ' '  saw  swallow-tails,  buzzards, 
cranes ; "  he  "  went  over  the  river  to  see  German  bird 
men;"  he  "went  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences;  "  he  "went 
out  shooting,  got  nest  and  chick  of  gallinule,  indigo 
birds,  etc.,  and  skinned  birds,"  and  "  called  at  William 
Grimshaw's  to  see  his  eggs" — these  are  the  entries  in 
his  diary  down  to  the  very  day  of  leaving  for  the  east, 
June  23,  1880.  During  that  summer  Mr.  Boardman 
made  visits  to  Boston,  Fredericton,  St.  John  and  Wood- 
stock and  in  October  attended  the  exhibition  at  St.  John. 
Some  entries  in  his  diary  will  give  an  idea  of  how  his 
days  were  spent  in  the  autumn  of  that  year :  ' '  October 
9 :  mounted  hawk  and  blue  birds ;  afternoon  out  to 
Jones';  two  woodcock,  one  snipe ;  Jones  shot  golden  eagle 
and  one  partridge.  October  11 :  Skinned  golden  eagle  ; 
out  to  Jones'  afternoon,  got  two  snipe,  one  woodcock. 
October  12  :  Went  out  to  cemetery ;  Mrs.  L/Ovejoy  and 
L,add  at  tea  ;  had  bird  supper.  October  13  :  Went  out 
to  Chandler  road  with  Osborn ;  got  five  woodcock  and 
barred  owl.  October  14  :  Afternoon  out  to  Tyler's  ;  got 
two  woodcock,  saw  six ;  mounted  barred  owl.  October 
15  :  Afternoon  at  Maguerrawock  with  Osborn  ;  no  snipe 
on  meadows  ;  got  six  woodcock,  yellow  rail,  partridge. 
October  16  :    Out  to  Jones'  ;  got  one  woodcock,  one  snipe, 


A  LIFE  RECORD  77 

six  partridge.  October  18  :  Went  out  to  the  Mohannes 
with  Everett  Smith  of  Portland,  game  commissioner  for 
Maine.  October  19 :  Mounted  spruce  partridge  and 
barred  owl.  October  20  :  Went  to  Clark's  with  Everett 
Smith,  got  two  partridge,  one  woodcock ;  afternoon 
worked  in  bird  house.  October  21 :  Worked  in  bird 
house  most  all  day . ' '  On  November  24,  1880,  Mr.  Board- 
man  "  shut  up  the  house  for  the  winter"  and  left  for  Flor- 
ida, arriving  at  Jacksonville  December  24.  December  30, 
Mr.  Boardman  records:  "Thermometer  17  —  coldest 
for  forty  years;  oranges  all  frozen  on  the  trees."  His 
list  of  correspondents  for  that  year  numbered  fifty-eight. 
Three  or  four  entries  from  Mr.  Boardman's  diary  will 
show  how  the  days  were  spent  during  the  winter  months 
in  Florida  :  ' '  January  28  —  Went  out  shooting  with  Mr. 
Page  of  New  York ;  got  some  snipe,  plover,  red  birds, 
etc.  February  1 —  Made  skin  of  fish  crow  ;  got  evening 
grosbeaks.  February  24  —  Mounted  birds  and  trimmed 
orange  trees.  March  3  —  Skinned  two  ivory-bill  wood- 
peckers ,  mounted  birds  and  trimmed  trees. ' '  On  Sunday, 
March  6,  Mr.  Boardman  heard  Bishop  Whipple  preach  at 
Sanford,  Fla.,  where  he  was  passing  a  vacation.  The 
two  following  days  he  went  to  Lake  Jessup  "fishing, 
shooting  and  picnicking  with  Bishop  Whipple."  How 
the  two  naturalists  must  have  enjoyed  each  other's  com- 
pany !  Devout  Christian  that  he  was,  Mr.  Boardman 
took  pleasure  in  hearing  the  Bishop  preach  on  Sunday, 
while  Bishop  Whipple,  lover  of  nature  and  also  a  sports- 
man, enjoyed  fishing  and  shooting  with  Mr.  Boardman 
on  Monday.  Rev.  Henry  Benjamin  Whipple  was  the 
first  bishop  of  Minnesota  and  used  to  pass  his  winter 
vacations  at  various  points  in  Florida.    He  died  Sept.  16, 


78     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

1901  and  the  memorial  tower  of  the  Episcopal  cathedral 
at  Faribault,  Minn.,  has  been  consecrated  to  his  memory. 

During  that  winter  in  Florida  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman 
passed  the  time  at  Palatka,  Enterprise,  Sanford,  St. 
Augustine  and  Jacksonville.  His  son  Charles  was  then 
living  at  Palatka  and  they  made  their  home  with  him, 
going  to  the  other  resorts  for  a  longer  or  a  shorter  time 
as  the  inclination  possessed  them.  Mr.  Boardman  did 
not  do  as  much  collecting  that  winter  as  formerly.  Their 
friends,  the  Fosters  from  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  were  in 
Florida  that  winter  and  much  time  was  spent  with  them 
in  excursions  and  pleasuring  parties.  They  left  Florida 
April  11  and  arrived  in  Washington  April  14.  A  stay 
of  only  two  days  was  made  in  Washington  when  they 
left  for  the  east,  spending  four  days  in  Philadelphia, 
some  time  in  New  York  and  Boston,  arriving  at  Calais 
on  May  13. 

Reaching  home  Mr.  Boardman  immediately  went  to 
work  in  his  bird  house,  according  to  entries  in  his  diary, 
and  also  took  up  his  excursions  to  the  woods  and  waters 
of  the  Maguerrawock  and  Mohannes  and  almost  every 
day  throughout  the  month  of  May  and  June  recorded 
getting  warblers,  blackbirds,  lots  of  ducks,  redwings  and 
other  birds  which  he  skinned  and  mounted,  also  going 
on  fishing  trips.  He  continued  to  send  specimens  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  as  usual.  Among  his  papers  is 
an  acknowledgement  from  Prof.  Baird,  dated  June  25, 
1881,  in  which  he  says  : 

The  specimens  announced  by  you  on  the  19th  came  safely 
to  hand  and  we  are  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  the  interesting 
contribution.  The  Florida  hawk  is  extremely  acceptable  and  I 
think  Mr.  Ridgway  has  written  you  for  further  particulars.    The 


A  LIFE  RECORD  79 

flounder  is,  I  thiuk,  the  same  as  one  previously  sent  by  you  from 
Mr.  Wilson's  weir.  It  is  known  in  New  Jersey  as  the  Window- 
pane,  from  its  thinness  (Lophopsetta  Maculata).  The  sandpiper, 
with  the  muscle  attached  is  interesting  and  serves  to  illustrate  the 
methods  by  which  animals  become  distributed  from  one  point  to 
another.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  good  samples  of  the  red 
granite,  including  a  four-inch  cube  and  one  of  a  foot  and  any- 
thing else  in  the  way  of  style  or  pattern. 

During  the  late  summer  and  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  Board- 
man  records  the  trips  to  his  favorite  shooting  grounds 
where  he  got  young  petrel,  black  galliuule,  marsh  hawk, 
reed  bird,  kingfisher,  wood  duck  and  partridge.  On 
November  14,  having  closed  his  house  for  the  winter,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Boardman  again  left  for  the  south.  They  made 
but  brief  calls  on  the  way  in  Boston  and  New  York, 
arriving  at  Jacksonville  November  19.  According  to  the 
records  in  his  diary  Mr.  Boardman  had  corresponded 
during  the  year  with  seventy  different  persons,  to  more 
than  thirty  of  whom  he  wrote  frequent  letters.  On 
December  31  he  received  a  letter  from  Prof.  Baird  telling 
of  his  disappointment  at  not  having  a  visit  from  the  Board- 
mans  on  their  passage  through  Washington  for  the  south. 
Prof.  Baird  writes : 

Washington,  D.  C,  Dec.  29,  1881. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

We  were  quite  surprised  to  get  your  letter  from  Palatka, 
when  we  were  trying  to  intercept  you  on  the  way  through  Wash- 
ington, wishing  you  to  pay  us  a  visit.  I  hope  you  will  take 
Washington  on  your  return,  and  that  Mrs.  Baird  will  be  well 
enough  to  have  you  and  Mrs.  Boardman  come  directly  to  our 
house.  I  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  having  you  go  off  to  the  far 
west  without  our  seeing  you.  One  comfort,  however,  will  be  that 
you  will  continue  to  go  to  Florida  as  heretofore. 

I  wish  very  much  you  would  consider  yourself  a  special  agent 
of  the  Smithsonian  and  National  Museum  along  the  line  of  the 


80    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

railroads.  Can  you  not  get  the  boys  to  take  up  the  subject  and 
see  that  the  products  of  the  mounds  and  graves  dug  through  are 
secured  for  us.  There  are  so  many  outsiders  at  work  in  Florida 
and  elsewhere,  that  we  do  not  get  anything  like  the  share  we 
ought  to  have  of  the  good  things  going. 

Of  course,  any  rare  birds  will  be  welcome.  If  I  knew  of 
some  clever  taxidermist  to  send  down  and  make  a  good  collection 
of  birds  I  would  send  him.  Perhaps  Ridgway  himself  would  like 
to  go  and  spend  a  few  weeks,  at  the  proper  season.  What  are  the 
chances  of  getting  what  1  want? 

We  have  nothiug  specially  new  here,  excepting  that  Nelson 
aud  Turner  are  both  back  again  from  Alaska  with  immense  col- 
lections. 

I  am  trying  to  arrange  matters  to  have  a  meteorological  estab- 
lishment at  Ungava  Bay  and  to  send  a  good  naturalist  in  charge. 
This  will  give  us  a  first-rate  show  at  the  water  birds  of  Hudson's 
Straits  and  Northern  Labrador.    Don't  you  want  to  go? 

With  love  to  Mrs.  Boardman  from  all  of  us,  believe  me, 
Sincerely  Yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 

The  winter  of  1882  was  spent  mostly  in  Palatka,  Fla., 
although  excursions  were  made  to  several  other  places. 
Under  date  of  January  16  of  that  year  Prof.  Baird  writes 
him  :  "I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  if  you  can  secure  for 
us  some  of  those  fine  specimens  to  which  you  refer.  I 
hope  you  will  constitute  yourself  a  committee  of  six  in 
the  interest  of  the  National  museum.  If  you  remain  long 
enough  in  Florida  in  the  spring  I  will  see  if  I  can  not  send 
Mr.  Ridgway  or  some  one  else  to  collect  specimens  under 
your  direction."  This  is  one  of  the  many  evidences 
which  Prof.  Baird  had  in  Mr.  Boardman's  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  natural  history  that  occur  in  his  correspondence. 
But  little  collecting  was  done  by  Mr.  Boardman  during 
that  winter  in  the  south,  and  on  April  6  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Boardman  left  for  Washington  where  they  arrived  April 


A  LIFE  RKCORD  81 

8.  A  month  was  spent  in  Washington  and  although  Mrs. 
Boardnian's  health  was  far  from  good  it  was  one  of  the 
happiest  months  Mr.  Boardman  ever  spent  at  the  national 
capital.  His  diary  records  the  happy  days  spent  at  the 
Smithsonian  and  with  Prof,  and  Mrs.  Baird  where  the 
Boardmans  frequently  took  tea  and  spent  the  evening. 
Arriving  in  Washington  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  on  Saturda)', 
April  8,  Mr.  Boardman  at  once  went  to  the  Smithsonian, 
and  on  Sunday  evening,  with  Mrs.  Boardman,  he  took 
tea  with  Prof,  and  Mrs.  Baird.  A  few  of  the  brief  min- 
utes are  given  from  Mr.  Boardnian's  diary  as  showing 
how  the  days  were  spent :  "April  10  —  At  Smithsonian 
to  look  over  Nelson's  arctic  birds.  April  11  —  Called 
round  to  see  all  the  friends  at  the  Smithsonian.  April 
17  —  All  day  at  the  museum ;  walked  up  to  Prof.  Baird's. 
April  18  —  Went  over  to  museum;  Academy  of  Science 
in  session  ;  reception  at  museum.  April  19  —  At  Smith- 
sonian; went  about  with  Prof.  J.  W.  P.  Jenks,  curator  of 
museum,  Brown  University.  April  22  —  At  museum  with 
Mr.  Walker  and  the  ladies;  Dall's  lecture  at  museum. 
April  28  —  Packed  birds  at  Smithsonian.  May  2 — Spent 
the  day  at  the  shad  hatchery  at  the  Smithsonian  ;  packed 
box  of  birds.  May  4  —  Over  to  Smithsonian  and  called 
with  Prof.  Baird  to  all  the  offices  and  visited  the  carp 
ponds.  May  5  —  Over  to  Smithsonian  ;  got  some  birds 
of  Mr.  Nelson.  May  6  —  Over  the  Smithsonian  to  saj' 
good-by  to  the  folks."  On  May  7,  which  was  Sunday, 
the  Boardmans  spent  the  afternoon  and  evening  at  Prof. 
Baird's  and  on  the  next  day  left  for  the  north.  The 
summer  of  1882  was  passed  at  Calais. 

On  September  4  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  left  for  the 
west.    They  had  no  sooner  arrived  at  Minneapolis  than 


82     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mr.  Boardman  "went  out  to  Great  Marsh  and  shot  12 
snipe  near  Rice  Lake."  During  that  fall  he  went  to 
Fargo,  visiting  a  large  farm  in  which  his  sons  were 
interested  and  where  he  saw  "lots  of  wild  geese."  He 
also  shot  "  hawks  and  black  vulture,"  and  at  Sanderson 
"  went  out  to  see  eagle's  nest."  On  October  4,  he  went 
to  the  big  marsh  snipe  shooting  where  he  shot  a  red- 
tailed  hawk,  which  was  mounted  the  following  day. 
This  was  a  favorite  place  with  Mr.  Boardman  where  he 
often  went  shooting.  On  October  18  he  records  :  "Shot 
two  snipe  on  railroad  near  the  house." 

The  winter  of  1882-83  was  spent  in  Minneapolis.  That 
Mr.  Boardman  kept  up  his  interest  in  ornithology  is 
shown  by  the  many  entries  in  his  diary  from  which  some 
extracts  are  given:  "January  3,  1883  —  Coldest  of  the 
season  :  12  degrees  below  all  day ;  Shot  two  evening 
grosbeaks.  January  11  —  Skinned  four  evening  gros- 
beaks. March  8  —  Went  over  to  see  the  old  German 
bird  man,  afterward  at  rooms  of  Academy  of  Natural 
Science.  March  25  —  Skinned  three  evening  grosbeaks. 
March  27  —  Over  east  side  to  see  the  old  taxidermist. 
March  31  —  Got  two  evening  grosbeaks  and  skinned 
them.  April  16  —  Got  one  Hooded  Merganser  and 
skinned  it ;  in  afternoon  went  shooting  and  got  snipe  and 
ducks.  May  9  —  Skinned  pintail  duck.  May  21 — Went 
to  Lake  Harriet ;  shot  two  horned  grebes  and  one  red 
throat  all  in  good  spring  plumage." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  arrived  in  Calais  from  the 
west  on  August  7,  and  the  first  of  September  had  a  visit 
of  some  days'  duration  from  Gov.  and  Mrs.  Robie.  The 
last  of  October  and  first  of  November  of  that  year  Mr. 
Boardman  was  occupied  in  moving  the  contents  of  his 


A  LIFE  RECORD  83 

bird  house  from  St.  Stephen  to  Calais  and  putting  up  his 
collection  of  birds,  eggs  and  nests  in  his  new  museum. 
He  records  the  number  of  loads  and  notes  the  days 
spent  in  "  arranging  his  bird  house."  His  diary  for  that 
year  records  the  names  of  eighty-four  persons  with  whom 
he  had  been  in  correspondence  during  the  year,  many  of 
them  those  of  well-known  scientists  —  Prof.  Baird,  Geo. 
N.  Lawrence,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Brewer,  E.  Coues,  Everett 
Smith,  I.  Nesbitt,  H.  E.  Dresser,  W.  T.  Hornaday,  N. 
Clifford  Brown.  The  following  letter  may  well  close  the 
record  of  the  year  1883.  It  is  one  of  the  last  received 
from  Prof.  Baird  and  shows  conclusively  that  he  regarded 
the  work  of  Mr.  Boardman  upon  the  birds  of  Eastern 
North  America  as  practically  complete.  The  list  enclosed 
in  the  letter  is  endorsed  :  ' '  Additions  to  Mr.  Boardman's 
Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Calais,  Maine,  1862,  included 
in  Prof.  Baird's  manuscript  supplementary  list ;  thirty- 
two  species,  nomenclature  of  1859  catalogue;  R.  R." 
(Robert  Ridgway)  : 

Washington,  D.  C,  Dec.  10,  1883. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Many  years  ago  I  undertook,  during  one  of  my  visits  to  Mill- 
town,  to  help  you  with  a  catalogue  of  birds  of  eastern  Maine  and 
between  us  we  made  out  about  thirty-one  species  in  addition  to 
what  you  had  previously  reported  upon.  This  list  has  been 
among  my  papers  for  probably  fifteen  years  or  more,  and  coming 
across  it  a  few  days  since,  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Ridgway  about  putting 
it  in  form  and  arranging  for  fts  publication  either  ,in  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  or  of  the  National 
Museum  —  you  to  be  the  author  of  the  paper. 

1  now  send  you  the  names  that  I  have,  so  that  if  you  think 
proper  you  may  make  any  additions  thereto  that  occur  to  you.  It 
would  be  well  to  add  any  paragraphs  about  dates,  habits  and  con- 
ditions of  discovery. 


84    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

If  you  will  then  send  it  to  me,  I  will  get  Mr.  Ridgway  to 
complete  it  as  proposed.  It  is  not  very  likely  that  you  will  make 
many  additions  to  the  list ;  at  any  rate,  I  do  not  think  it  is  worth 
while  to  wait  much  longer. 

Yours  truly, 

S.  F.  Baird. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  spent  the  winter  of  1884  in 
Florida,  although  Mr.  Boardman  did  but  little  collecting. 
Almost  the  only  entries  in  his  diary  which  refer  to  this 
are  the  following  :  "  February  4  —  Went  to  ride  out  in 
the  pine  woods  with  Mrs.  Boardman  ;  got  a  few  birds  ; 
afternoon,  mounted  three  birds.  February  5  —  Went 
out  in  pine  woods  with  ladies  ;  shot  blue  bird  ;  afternoon, 
mounted  bird."  They  were  then  at  Palatka.  They 
arrived  in  Washington  on  their  return  east,  April  7, 
where  they  remained  ten  days.  It  was  the  usual  round 
of  pleasure  and  study.  They  called  upon  members  of 
the  Maine  delegation  in  Congress,  attended  receptions 
and  visited  friends.  Mr.  Boardman  was  at  the  Smith- 
sonian, at  the  National  Museum  and  with  Prof.  Baird 
nearly  every  day  and  on  different  days  he  records  in  his 
diary  :  "  Called  all  round  to  see  the  folks  ;  at  the  Smith- 
sonian saw  Prof.  Baird,  Prof.  Goode,  Ridgway,  Eliot, 
Capt.  Bendire,  Coues  and  Hornaday  ;  took  over  burrow- 
ing owl  and  L,impkin  eggs  to  museum  ;  went  to  fish 
hatching-house  and  museum,  got  birds  of  Ridgway  and 
eggs  of  Capt.  Bendire ;  saw  Prof.  Verrill,  Dall  and 
others  and  went  over  to  Academy  of  Science  ;  all  day  at 
museum,  saw  Dr.  Hayden,  Coues  and  others."  Reach- 
ing New  York  on  his  journey  home  Mr.  Boardman  spent 
a  few  days  at  the  Central  Park  museum  where  he  saw 
Dr.  Holden,  Mr.  Bickmore,  Mr.  Lawrence  and  others. 


A  LIFE  RECORD  85 

Calais  was  reached  April  29.  During  the  mouth  of  June 
Mr.  Boardman  was  employed  in  moving  from  Milltown, 
St.  Stephen,  to  the  house  on  Dafayette  Street,  Calais, 
where  he  ever  afterward  resided  and  almost  daily  entries 
are  made  in  his  journal  of  work  done  in  arranging  the 
collections  in  the  museum.  Almost  the  only  entry  relat- 
ing to  birds  is  :  "June  10  —  Afternoon  went  up  to  the 
old  pasture  and  got  four  Eoggerhead  Shrikes,  White 
Rump,  first  ever  collected  here."  The  diary  records 
seventy-eight  correspondents  for  the  year. 

The  years  1885  and  1886  were  passed  by  Mr.  Board- 
man  at  home  with  the  exception  of  visits  to  Boston,  New 
York  and  the  west  —  the  summer  of  1886  having  been 
spent  in  Minneapolis.  The  year  1887  was  also  spent 
quietly  at  home  with  visits  to  Boston  and  Fredericton. 
The  death  of  Prof.  Baird  occurred  in  August  of  this 
year,  Mr.  Boardman  making  a  brief  entry  of  the  event 
in  his  diary  of  August  19. 


CHAPTER  V 


CLOSING  YEARS  AT    CALAIS. 


THE  work  of  Mr.  Boardman  as  a  naturalist  really 
ended  with  the  death  of  Prof.  Baird  in  1887. 
Indeed,  four  years  before  Prof.  Baird' s  death  he  had 
written  Mr.  Boardman  that  it  was  not  likely  he  would 
make  any  additions  to  the  list  of  Maine  birds  and  sug- 
gested that  the  list  should  be  revised  and  published  as  a 
final  work  as  he  thought  it  not  advisable  to  wait  longer 
for  new  species.  Mr.  Boardman's  friendship  and  cor- 
respondence, his  visits  and  exchanges  with  Prof.  Baird 
had  continued  uninterruptedly  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  years  with  the  closest  intimacy  and  delight.  Now 
he  had  gone.  His  friend  and  correspondent,  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Wood  of  Connecticut,  had  died  in  1885  and  John 
Krider  in  1886.  The  last  letters  from  Mr.  Dresser  that 
have  been  found  among  Mr.  Boardman's  papers  were 
written  in  1874.  Mr.  Boardman  still  wrote  occasionally 
to  Mr.  Charles  Hallock  and  to  Prof.  Robert  Ridgway 
for  he  loved  to  be  in  communication  with  his  friends. 
On  April  4,  1887,  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  to  Prof.  Ridgway  : 
"  I  have  received  several  letters  through  the  winter  from 
Prof.  Baird.     He  writes  me  how  poorly  he  has  been  in 


GEORGE  A.  BOARDMAN 
At  the  Age  of  about  Eighty  years 


CLOSING  YEARS  87 

health  ;  has  lost  over  twenty  pounds  of  flesh.  I  cannot 
find  out  what  the  trouble  is  with  him  or  really  how  badly 
off  he  is.  In  his  last  letter  he  wrote  me  he  was  going  to 
Vermont  to  spend  the  first  part  of  the  summer  and  leave 
the  sea  air.  I  wish  you  would  write  me  all  about  him  ; 
how  he  has  been  and  how  he  appears.  I  hope  he  is  not 
going  to  break  down."  In  reply  to  this  Prof.  Ridgway 
wrote  : 

Smithsonian  Institution,  April  16,  1887. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Since  the  receipt  of  yours  of  the  4th  inst.  I  have  been  so  busy 
with  my  new  book  (Manual  of  North  American  Birds),  endeavor- 
ing to  hasten  its  completion  by  the  commencement  of  the  collecting 
season,  besides  my  other  necessary  occupations,  tbat  I  have  been 
obliged  to  defer  an  answer  until  today. 

I  am  very  happy  to  tell  you  that  Professor  Baird's  health 
seems  much  better,  as  he  not  only  goes  about  more  but  takes  his 
former  interest  in  various  matters  and  appears  altogether  more 
cheerful  than  he  did  a  few  months  ago.  At  one  time  he  seemed 
to  be  very  much  discouraged  and  all  his  friends  felt  very  appre- 
hensive, but  I  sincerely  trust  that  the  worst  is  over  now,  and  that 
he  wTill  be  spared  to  us  for  many  years  yet.  His  loss  would  be  an 
irreparable  one  to  his  friends,  for  no  one  could  replace  him.  He 
is  going  to  the  Adirondacks  about  the  first  of  June  and  the 
change,  as  well  as  freedom  from  the  many  cares,  responsibilities 
and  annoyances  which  beset  him  here,  will  no  doubt  do  much  to 
restore  him  to  good  health. 

There  is  nothing  specially  new  here,  birds  coming  in  fre- 
quently, but  rarely  anything  of  particular  interest.  We  have  had 
no  very  large  collections  since  the  Albatross  collection  came 
in.  It  will  probably  interest  you  to  know  that  we  have  three 
additional  specimens  of  Wurdemann's  Heron,  and  I  have  exam- 
ined five  more  —  eight  altogether,  in  addition  to  the  type.  They 
all  came  from  the  Keys  near  Cape  Sable,  where  they  were  breed- 
ing in  December. 


88    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Dr.  Stejneger,  who   is  busy  as  ever,  working  chiefly  on  his 
review  of  Japanese  birds,  sends  kind  regards,  as  does  also 
Yours  truly, 

ROBERT    RlDGWAY. 

Writing  to  Prof.  Ridgway  on  December  13,  1887, 
Mr.  Boardman  says:  "I  have  not  written  you  for  a 
long  time,  not  since  the  death  of  our  dear  friend,  the 
professor.  Mrs.  Baird  has  written  me  all  the  particulars 
of  his  sickness  and  death.  Since  then  I  have  seen  sev- 
eral notices  and  accounts  of  him,  one  I  think  by  you  at 
the  meeting  of  the  American  Ornithological  Union.  If 
you  have  any  papers  or  any  duplicates  of  any  memorials 
of  him  I  would  be  glad  to  get  them."  In  the  same  letter 
Mr.  Boardman  adds  :  "  Our  plans  were  to  go  to  Char- 
lotte Harbor,  Florida,  this  winter,  but  Mrs.  Boardman 
is  hardly  well  enough  to  go.  We  may  take  a  run  to 
Washington  after  a  while." 

The  "run  to  Washington"  was  made  in  the  spring  of 
1888,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  having  left  Calais  on 
March  8  and  arrived  in  Washington  March  11,  where 
they  remained  nearly  a  month.  They  made  the  usual 
calls  at  Mrs.  Baird's ;  Mr.  Boardman  was  much  at  the 
Smithsonian  where  he  met  Mr.  Hornaday,  Prof.  Goode 
and  others  and  spent  the  time  much  as  of  old,  although 
the  entries  in  his  diary  are  brief  and  show  a  want  of 
interest.  "Our  dear  old  friend  Prof.  Baird,"  as  he 
always  called  him  in  his  letters  of  this  period  to  his 
scientific  friends,  had  gone  and  Washington  and  the 
Smithsonian  were  not  the  same  places  they  had  been  to 
Mr.  Boardman  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Reaching  Calais 
from  this  visit  on  April  17,  the  remainder  of  the  year 
was  spent  at  home. 


CLOSING  YEARS  89 

After  this  it  was  not  as  a  naturalist  studying  southern 
bird-life  and  making  collections  that  Mr.  Boardman 
visited  Florida.  He  had  now  spent  twelve  winters  in 
that  State  and  knew  its  birds,  its  animals,  its  flowers 
and  its  people.  He  enjoyed  its  winter  climate.  He  had 
made  many  friends  at  all  the  places  where  he  had  col- 
lected, but  there  was  now  little  for  him  to  learn  of  its 
flora  or  its  fauna.  Still,  as  he  grew  older  and  with  the 
approach  of  the  cold  weather  of  our  northern  winter  he 
liked  to  get  away  from  the  rigorous  climate  of  the  north 
into  that  of  birds  and  flowers.  So  he  went  south,  not 
with  the  same  object  as  in  former  years,  but  as  a  gentle- 
man of  leisure  to  visit  scenes  that  had  been  those  of 
pleasure  to  him  in  earlier  years  and  to  meet  friends  of 
long  standing. 

In  1889  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  left  for  Florida  on 
January  15  and  spent  the  winter  at  Jacksonville,  Punta 
Gorda,  St.  James  City,  Winter  Park,  Lake  Charm, 
Palatka  and  St.  Augustine.  Leaving  Florida  the  first 
of  April  they  went  directly  west,  arriving  at  Minneapolis 
April  13.  Writing  to  Prof.  Ridgway  from  that  place  on 
June  3,  Mr.  Boardman  says  : 

A  few  weeks  ago  I  saw  a  very  queer  swan  here  and  I  think  a 
trumpeter.  It  was  shot  up  at  Dakota.  The  feet  were  not  the 
least  webbed  and  there  had  never  been  the  least  sign  of  toes.  It 
was  mounted  here  by  an  old  taxidermist  who  would  be  glad  to 
sell  it  cheap.  It  looks  queer  with  its  long  crane-like  toes  without 
webs.  If  you  would  care  for  it,  write  me  and  I  will  get  it  for  you. 
I  like  the  spring  in  this  country ;  I  see  so  many  birds  and  they  are 
so  different  from  those  we  see  in  Maine.  The  woods  about  the 
city  are  full  of  scarlet  tanagers,  orioles,  rose-breasted  grosbeaks, 
redheaded  woodpeckers,  etc.  After  I  arrived  here  there  were  a 
good  many  Evening  grosbeaks  and  Bohemian  chatterers  but  all 


90    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

left  about  the  last  of  April  although  some  of  them  were  here 
until  May  10.  I  don't  see  much  that  is  new  but  go  out  shooting  a 
few  days  every  week. 

His  diary  for  the  year  gives  a  list  of  more  than  one 
hundred  persons  with  whom  Mr.  Boardman  had  cor- 
responded during  the  year. 

In  the  early  winter  of  1890  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman 
left  for  the  south  and  without  stopping  at  Washington 
reached  Jacksonville  January  27.  On  their  return  early 
in  April  they  spent  four  days  in  Washington  where  visits 
were  made  at  Mrs.  Baird's  and  calls  upon  members  of  the 
Maine  Congressional  delegation.  Mr.  Boardman  spent 
two  days  at  the  museum  and  botanic  garden  and  on 
April  12,  Mrs.  Boardman  attended  the  reception  of  Mrs. 
President  Harrison.  They  reached  home  on  April  26 
and  in  July  of  that  year  Dr.  Henry  Foster  and  wife  of 
Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  whose  acquaintance  they  had 
made  in  Florida,  visited  them  for  a  week.  On  January 
5, 1891,  the  Boardmans  left  for  the  south,  arriving  at  Jack- 
sonville on  the  tenth  of  that  month.  Their  friends,  the 
Fosters,  were  with  them  for  several  weeks  and  the  winter 
though  pleasant  was  uneventful.  Mr.  Boardman's  diary 
contains  no  records  of  interest  upon  natural  history  for 
the  entire  winter.  On  April  16  they  left  for  the  north, 
spending  but  a  single  day  in  Washington  and  reaching 
home  on  April  23.  This  was  the  last  of  the  many  happy 
winters  which  the  Boardmans  passed  in  the  south. 
Going  there  first  in  1868  they  had  spent  the  whole  or  parts 
of  seventeen  winters  in  Florida  during  which  time  Mr. 
Boardman  had  become  as  familiar  with  its  flora  and  its 
fauna  as  he  was  with  that  of  his  own  St.  Croix  Valley. 
There  was  nothing  more  for  him  to  learn,  nothing  new 


CLOSING  YEARS  91 

to  see  and  this  ended  his  long  series  of  visits  to  the  land 
of  birds  and  flowers. 

In  the  fall  of  1891,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  spent  several 
months  at  the  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  sanatorium,  reach- 
ing there  September  15  and  remaining  until  December 
2.  For  some  time  Mr.  Boardman  had  suffered  from  an 
affection  of  the  throat  and  nose  which  proved  to  be 
caused  by  polypi  and  he  went  to  Dr.  Foster's  sanatorium 
for  treatment.  They  were  removed  on  September  30  and 
31  and  on  the  following  day  Mr.  Boardman  "went  to 
walk  and  wrote  letters."  On  October  3,  he  records:  "Saw 
plovers  and  cow  buntings" — which  is  almost  the  only 
entry  about  birds  in  the  diary  for  that  year.  December 
23,  Mr.  Boardman  received  a  telegram  informing  him  of 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Baird.  The  diary  for  this  year  records 
the  names  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  persons  with 
whom  Mr.  Boardman  had  corresponded,  among  them 
those  of  his  old  scientific  friends :  Henry  Osborn  of 
London,  Eng.,  George  N.  Lawrence,  C.  Hart  Merriam, 
E.  Coues,  F.  M.  Chapman,  Everett  Smith,  Robert  Ridg- 
way,  N.  Clifford  Brown,  J.  R.  Krider,  J.  A.  Allen,  O.  S. 
Bickmore,  William  Dutcher,  Prof.  T.  H.  Bean  and  many 
others. 

The  spring  of  1892  was  spent  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Board- 
man  at  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  and  in  the  west  —  the 
months  of  May  and  June  in  Minneapolis  with  their  chil- 
dren. The  spring  in  the  west  had  been  very  cold  and  Mr. 
Boardman  records  :  "  May  7  —  Martins  almost  frozen; 
May  20 — Humming  birds  on  the  snow."  On  June  9 
and  10  he  attended  the  National  convention  at  which 
Harrison  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency.  Calais 
was  reached  on  July  7  and  the  remainder  of  that  year 


92    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

was  spent  at  home.  On  August  9,  writing  to  Prof.  Ridg- 
way  Mr.  Boardman  says:  "We  have  just  returned 
from  the  west.  Did  not  go  south  last  winter  as  Mrs. 
Boardman  was  not  well  enough  to  take  the  trip.  I  had 
a  good  letter  from  Mr.  Goode  in  the  spring.  Should  be 
pleased  to  hear  from  you  sometime.  Has  Capt.  Bendire's 
egg  book  been  printed  yet  ?  Have  you  had  many  new 
things  of  bird  kind  lately  ?  Do  you  know  if  Miss  I/Ucy 
Baird  sold  her  house  after  the  death  of  her  mother  ?  " 

The  year  1893  was  quiet  and  uneventful.  Mrs.  Board- 
man  was  not  in  good  health  and  the  year  was  spent  at 
home.  October  6,  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  to  Prof.  Ridg- 
way  :  "I  send  the  sandpiper  bird  by  to-night's  express 
and  think  it  will  not  be  much  of  a  nondescript  to  you 
when  you  see  it,  but  I  cannot  make  it  out  to  my  satis- 
faction." 

Mrs.  Boardman's  health  which  had  not  been  good 
throughout  the  previous  year  failed  rapidly  during  the 
early  months  of  the  year  1894.  Mr.  Boardman  had  him- 
self been  ill  from  a  severe  kidney  trouble  and  during  the 
last  days  of  February  little  is  recorded  in  his  diary  but 
that  of  his  own  and  Mrs.  Boardman's  illness.  The  fol- 
lowing brief  records  tell  the  sad  story  :  "  February  24 — 
Sick  with  bladder  trouble.  February  25  —  Very  poorly 
with  bladder  trouble.  February  26  —  Charles  came  from 
Frederic  ton  ;  sick.  February  27  —  Quite  sick.  March 
1  —  Sick.  March  2  —  Sick.  March  3  —Sick.  March  4 
—  My  dear  wife  died  this  morning  and  I  so  sick  could 
not  see  her  or  be  with  her.  March  5  —  Very  fine  day  ; 
I  very  sick.  March  6  —  Very  fine  day;  my  dear  wife 
buried  this  afternoon  and  I  could  not  see  her.  March 
7— Sick." 


CLOSING  YEARS  93 

Then  there  are  many  blank  pages  in  the  diary.  For 
the  long  period  of  forty-one  years  it  had  been  kept  regu- 
larly and  uninterruptedly  and  with  only  a  single  day's 
blank  previous  to  this.  Here  was  the  second  and  for 
twenty  days  there  are  no  entries.  The  long  and  happy 
married  life  had  been  broken  and  his  beloved  wife,  com- 
panion, helpmate  and  counselor  for  fifty-one  years  had 
left  him  and  he  was  sick.  No  wonder  there  were  days 
when  no  record  could  be  made  and  when  life  itself  seemed 
a  blank.  On  March  24,  Mr.  Boardman'sson,  William  B., 
reached  Calais  from  the  west  and  on  March  28  his  son 
Charles  "took  him  down  stairs  to  unlock  the  safe." 
William  left  for  Minneapolis  on  March  30  and  on  April 
7,  Mr.  Boardman's  daughter,  Mrs.  Taylor  and  her  hus- 
band, left  for  the  west.  On  April  8,  Mr.  Boardman  ' '  went 
down  stairs  to  dinner  for  the  first  time"  since  his  illness. 
After  this  friends  called  to  see  him,  he  was  soon  able  to  ride 
out,  the  entries  of  daily  events  were  resumed  in  the  diary 
and  life  went  on  much  in  the  old  way,  as  life  must  go  on, 
how  great  soever  the  losses  and  sorrows  which  it  brings. 
One  record  in  this  year,  that  of  July  15,  is  pathetic  and 
touching:  "Went  to  ride  up  to  Maguerrewock  and 
called  at  Bragg's."  It  was  the  scene  of  his  old  shooting 
and  collecting  days,  where  he  always  went  two  or  three 
times  a  week  and  where  he  took  his  naturalist  and  sport- 
ing friends  and  he  wanted  to  see  it  again.  No  other 
record  for  the  year  tells  so  much  or  is  so  full  of  sugges- 
tion. It  is,  indeed,  almost  the  summing  up  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  life  as  a  lover  of  out  door  life  and  sports,  of  his 
love  for  birds  and  nature  study. 

The  years  which  followed  were  happy  and  quiet.  Not 
the  old  happiness  nor  the  quiet  of  the  earlier  years  when 


94    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  time  was  spent  in  scientific  study  —  but  they  were 
very  pleasant  years.  He  wrote  less  letters  to  friends 
than  in  the  active  years  —  their  number  had  grown 
smaller  —  but  wrote  much  for  the  local  newspapers  and 
spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in  reading.  The  following 
appeared  in  Forest  and  Stream  on  March  4,  1899  : 

Mr.  Charles  Hallock  calls  our  attention  to  an  interesting 
personal  item  in  the  Calais  (Maine)  Times,  recording  that  "  George 
A.  Boardman,  Esq.,  celebrated  his  eighty-first  birthday  at  his 
home  on  Lafayette  street,  Sunday,  February  5.  Callers  tendered 
their  most  hearty  congratulations  and  all  expressed  the  wish  that 
they  might  call  upon  him  next  year  and  find  him  enjoying  good 
health  and  his  usual  cheerfulness."  That  which  gives  point  to  the 
paragraph  is  the  fact,  noted  by  Mr.  Hallock,  that  Mr.  Boardman 
was  the  second  name  on  the  list  of  subscribers  among  the  patrons 
of  Forest  and  Stream  when  it  was  begun  in  August,  1873.  The 
first  subscriber  was  Gov.  Horatio  Seymour ;  and  Mr.  Boardman 
therefore  enjoys  the  unique  distinction  of  being  the  nestor  of 
Forest  and  Stream  readers  —  and  he  may  defend  his  claim  to  the 
record  even  against  those  correspondents  who  occasionally  aver 
(either  through  lapse  of  memory  or  by  fisherman's  license)  that 
they  have  been  reading  the  paper  for  thirty  or  forty  years.  Mr. 
Boardman  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  our  columns  and  we 
print  today  some  notes  from  his  pen  on  the  queer  way  of  bears. 

A  letter  of  about  this  date  written  by  Mr.  Boardman 
to  Mr.  Charles  Hallock,  founder  and  first  editor  of  Forest 
and  Stream,  is  one  of  interest : 

Calais,  Maine,  Feb.  12,  1899. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Hallock  : 

Your  kind  letter  just  received.  Very  glad  you  and  Mrs.  Hallock 
are  so  well  and  enjoying  yourselves  at  the  south.  I  often  see  your 
name  in  the  Forest  and  Stream  as  I  have  read  about  every  paper 
since  you  started  it.  When  you  wrote  me  about  starting  it,  I  told 
you  to  put  me  down  as  the  first  subscriber,  and  1  believe  you  said  I 


GEORGE  A.  BOARDMAN 


At  Eighty-one  years  of  Age 


CLOSING  YEARS  95 

was  the  second.  I  used  to  enjoy  the  south,  and  California  in  win- 
ter where  I  spent  twenty  winters,  but  five  years  ago  this  winter,  I 
lost  my  wife  and  since  I  have  remained  at  home  in  winter,  my 
daughter  who  lived  in  Minneapolis,  Mrs.  Taylor,  broke  up  house- 
keeping there,  and  has  been  with  me  ever  since.  Out  of  eleven 
children,  she  was  the  only  daughter,  the  other  ten  were  boys.  I 
am,  and  have  been  very  well,  and  last  Sunday  was  my  eighty-first 
birthday  and  according  to  the  natural  run  of  things  I  cannot 
expect  to  last  very  long.  I  begin  to  be  quite  a  domestic  man  and 
like  home  life  and  to  be  with  my  family  and  friends,  and  it  is  one 
of  my  delights  to  gather  the  friends  of  my  early  days  about  me 
and  discuss  with  them  the  happy  events  of  by-gone  days.  My 
memory  is  good  and  faculties  so  keen  that  I  can  look  over  the 
picture  of  a  long  life  like  a  panorama  and  live  it  over  many  times 
in  a  mental  sense,  and  it  pleases  me  to  hear  you  expect  you  may 
come  down  east  again  next  season,  when  I  hope  to  see  you  and 
show  you  my  museum  of  our  local  birds,  etc.,  etc. 

I  have  for  several  years  every  week  or  two,  been  writing  a 
paper  for  our  local  papers,  sometimes  for  the  St.  Croix  Courier 
and  then  for  the  Calais  Times.  The  last  one  has  just  come  in 
which  I  will  send  you :   About  Growing  Old. 

My  daughter  says  I  have  some  photographs  and  will  be  glad 
to  change  with  you.  If  they  look  too  young,  I  will  have  some 
new  ones  taken. 

I  think  the  last  time  I  saw  you  and  Mrs.  Hallock  was  at  the 
Smithsonian  some  time  before  our  friend  Prof.  Baird  died.  I  miss 
him  very  much  and  since,  when  I  have  been  in  Washington,  made 
but  a  short  stop.  With  many  thanks  for  your  kind  letter  and  best 
regards  to  you  and  Mrs.  Hallock, 

Sincerely  yours, 

G.  A.  BOARDMAN. 

Two  brief  notes  which  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  for  Forest 
and  Stream,  the  first  dated  March  10,  1900  and  the 
second,  May  12  of  the  same  year  are  here  given  : 

I  was  pained  to  hear  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Risteen,  and  then 
so  soon  afterward  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Mather.    I  have  known  them 


96    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

both  ever  since  they  began  to  write  such  interesting  articles  for 
the  papers.  They  have  solved  the  great  problem  which  we  are  all 
approaching,  but  leave  pleasant  memories  behind  and  those  who 
knew  them  will  say  their  farewells  with  a  deep  sense  of  personal 
loss. 

I  see  my  subscription  runs  out  the  18th.  I  enclose  order 
for  renewal.  It  is  a  magazine-paper  of  editorial  genius  and  col- 
lects critically  and  appetizingly  the  things  sportsmen,  naturalists 
and  ornithologists  most  want  to  know  —  a  storehouse  of  good 
reading,  nice  pictures  and  bright  bits  of  news.  I  have  read  every 
number  from  the  first  and  will  be  a  life  subscriber.  But  I  am 
getting  old  now  —  iu  my  eighty-third  year  —  and  am  journeying 
into  the  shadow;  the  roar  of  the  ultimate  river  is  daily  growing 
more  distinct  in  my  ears. 

The  most  important  event  of  the  year  1900  was  the 
negotiations  between  Mr.  Boardman  and  officials  of  the 
New  Brunswick  government  for  the  transfer  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  ornithological  collection  to  that  government.  In 
May  and  also  in  July  of  that  year  Messrs.  Todd,  Tweedie, 
and  Dunn  visited  Calais  for  that  purpose  and  during  the 
month  of  July  an  account  of  the  birds  and  a  catalogue  of 
the  eggs  and  nests  in  the  museum  were  made.  During 
the  year  Mr.  Boardman  spent  much  time  in  the  museum 
and  it  was  visited  by  more  people  than  ever  before  in  a 
single  year.  Its  interest  and  value  had  become  better 
known  and  among  the  visitors  were  scientific  men  from 
abroad,  children  from  the  schools  and  college  students. 
Many  articles  were  written  that  year  by  Mr.  Boardman 
for  the  Calais  and  St.  Stephen  newspapers  and  on  Novem- 
ber 6  he  records  in  his  diary  :  "  Voted  for  McKinley." 
On  December  5  the  diary  says:  "Mr.  Dunn,  Mr.  Hill 
and  Mr.  Todd  closed  trade  for  my  collection,  payment  to 
be  made  in  one,  two  and  three  years,  with  interest." 


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CLOSING  YEARS  97 

Monday,  December  10,  Mr.  Boardman  records:  "I 
called  Dr.  Black;  no  appetite  and  don't  sleep  well 
nights."  Dr  Black  called  to  see  Mr.  Boardman  nearly 
every  day  during  the  remainder  of  the  month  and  on 
December  31  he  records:  "Had  lots  of  callers;  Dr. 
Black  called  here  twice." 

But  three  entries  appear  in  Mr.  Boardman's  diary  for 
the  year  1901 .  They  are  :  ' '  January  1  —  Clear  and  fine ; 
ther.  33  ;  fine  winter  day  ;  Dr.  Black  here  ;  I  had  a  bad 
day.  January  2  —  Clear  and  cold;  good  many  callers. 
January  3 — Ther.  5  below  zero  ;  windy  and  a  cold  night." 
This  was  the  last.  The  diary  that  had  been  kept  daily 
with  hardly  an  interruption  for  nearly  forty-nine  years 
had  received  its  closing  memoranda.  Mr.  Boardman 
died  at  12.40  o'clock,  Friday  morning,  January  11,  1901. 

The  funeral  services  were  held  from  Mr.  Boardman's 
late  residence,  No.  5  Lafayette  street,  Calais.  They 
were  attended  by  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  G.  McCully  and  Rev. 
Thomas  D.  McLean  and  the  burial  was  in  Rural  Cem- 
etery, St.  Stephen,  N.  B.  Four  nephews  of  Mr.  Board- 
man  acted  as  pall-bearers,  viz.  :  William  F.  Boardman, 
Henry  B.  Eaton,  William  F.  Todd  and  Charles  E.  Board- 
man. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  BOARDMAN  COIXECTION 


THE  final  disposition  of  his  natural  history  collections 
must  have  been  a  subject  of  much  thought  during 
the  latter  years  of  Mr.  Boardman's  life.  It  had  been 
built  up  during  many  years  of  constant  and  loving  effort 
and  at  great  cost,  while  it  had  reached  such  proportions 
that  it  was  one  of  the  largest  private  collections  of 
ornithology  in  the  United  States,  embracing  not  only  the 
birds  of  all  parts  of  our  own  country  but  many  of  those  of 
the  West  Indies,  of  South  America,  of  Alaska,  of  Europe 
and  of  the  more  arctic  regions  of  Greenland,  L,apland 
and  Russia.  Most  of  the  individual  specimens  had  been 
obtained  by  himself  and  skinned  and  mounted  by  his  own 
hands,  or  by  exchange  with  the  most  eminent  naturalists. 
He  knew  the  particular  history  of  each  one.  In  his 
exchanges  with  scientific  friends  in  this  country  and 
abroad  he  had  obtained  many  rare  specimens  and  was 
familiar  with  every  bird,  nest  and  egg  in  the  collection. 
His  love  for  it  was  great  and  each  specimen  and  object 
had  a  dear  and  warm  place  in  his  heart.  It  can  readily 
be  understood,  therefore,  that  its  ultimate  resting  place 
was  a  matter  about  which  Mr.   Boardman  had  given 


THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  99 

careful  thought.  He  wanted  it  preserved  in  its  entirety 
and  kept  in  some  place  where  it  would  serve  the  cause  of 
science  and  be  readily  accessible  to  students  of  natural 
history.  Hence  the  idea  of  its  disposition  excepting  as  a 
whole  and  to  be  in  the  custody  of  some  public  institution 
could  not  for  a  moment  be  thought  of.  It  had  been  men- 
tioned in  some  of  the  public  journals  that  it  was  to  go  to 
Bowdoin  College,  where  three  of  his  sons  had  grad- 
uated and  an  institution  which  he  loved.  It  is  believed, 
however,  that  his  first  plan  was  for  it  to  be  kept  in 
Calais.  To  be  sure  Calais  was  but  a  small  city  and  was 
in  no  sense  an  educational  or  scientific  centre ;  but  its 
people  were  intelligent,  many  were  wealthy  and  all  held 
Mr.  Boardman  in  the  highest  esteem.  The  town  had  long 
been  his  home,  he  had  been  successful  in  business  there 
and  it  was  in  the  St.  Croix  valley  where  the  larger  part 
of  the  collection  had  been  made.  Next  to  Calais,  Mr. 
Boardman  no  doubt  hoped  that  it  might  go  to  some 
institution  in  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick. 

During  the  summer  of  1882,  while  Mr.  Boardman  was 
in  Minneapolis,  an  effort  was  made  by  the  Portland 
Society  of  Natural  History  to  obtain  his  collection  as  it 
had  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  society  that  Mr.  Board- 
man  might  make  his  future  home  in  the  west.  On  April 
14,  1882,  Mr.  N.  Clifford  Brown,  curator  of  ornithology 
of  that  society  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Boardman  say- 
ing : 

Our  Society  has  recently  learned  of  your  intended  removal 
from  Calais  and  the  consequent  probability  that  your  well-known 
superb  collection  of  Maine  birds  may  be  obtained  by  purchase. 
I  hardly  need  say  that  we  would  greatly  like  to  see  this  collection 
in  our  own  cabinets.     You  will  doubtless  agree  that  no  more 


100    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

suitable  resting-place  for  it  could  be  found.  Being  the  largest  if 
not  the  only  incorporated  society  in  the  state,  the  Portland 
Society  of  Natural  History  feels  a  peculiar  interest  in  so  fine  a 
representative  collection  as  your  own  of  Maine  zoology. 

I  arn  instructed  by  our  president  to  inquire  whether  we  may 
hope  to  secure  this  collection,  provided  that  the  price  at  which 
you  value  it  is  not  beyond  our  means;  also,  if  it  is  indeed  to 
be  sold,  to  request  you  to  state  the  amount  you  wish  to  receive 
for  it. 

Several  letters  from  Mr.  Brown  have  been  found 
among  Mr.  Boardman's  MSS.,  but  no  formal  action  was 
ever  taken  by  the  Portland  society  for  the  purchase  of 
the  collection  so  far  as  appears  from  papers  that  have 
been  accessible. 

In  the  year  1893,  when  plans  for  the  erection  of  the 
public  library  building  in  Calais  were  being  considered, 
Mr.  Boardman  made  a  free  tender  of  his  entire  collection 
to  the  trustees  of  the  library  in  behalf  of  the  city,  if  they 
would  make  the  building  sufficiently  large  —  by  the 
addition  of  a  second  story  where  a  hall  could  be  provided 
for  the  housing  of  the  collection,  or  by  some  other 
enlargement  which  would  give  it  sufficient  accommoda- 
tion. The  answer  of  the  trustees  was  that  they  had 
their  plans,  contracts  and  money  for  the  erection  of  the 
building  so  arranged  that  they  could  not  well  make  the 
necessary  changes  which  would  be  needed  for  the  suit- 
able display  of  the  collection  ;  they  did  not  know  where 
to  obtain  the  additional  funds  that  would  be  required  to 
erect  the  larger  building  and  so  the  proffered  offer  was 
not  accepted.  About  this  time  it  was  more  than  half 
intimated  that  one  of  the  wealthy  residents  of  Calais  or 
St.  Stephen  had  it  in  mind  to  erect  a  handsome  build- 
ing in  the  public  park  of  Calais,  which  is  opposite  Mr. 


INTERIOR  OF  THE  MUSEUM,  CALAIS 


THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  101 

Boardman's  residence,  for  the  purpose  of  housing  his 
collection,  but  such  a  plan  was  never  made  effective. 

While  at  the  time  this  offer  was  made  to  the  city 
through  the  library  trustees,  Mr.  Boardman  was  much 
disappointed,  if,  indeed,  he  was  not  displeased,  at  its 
rejection  —  the  gift  was  one  of  so  marked  a  character 
and  was  so  generous  —  he  was  afterward  glad  that  it  had 
not  been  accepted.  This  was  because  he  realized  the 
city  could  not  afford  to  employ  a  proper  person  to  take 
charge  of  the  collection.  In  such  want  of  care  he  fore- 
saw that  the  collection  might  suffer  from  neglect,  that 
the  most  valuable  specimens  might  disappear  and  that 
in  consequence  the  collection  would  lose  its  value  and 
be  of  little  use  to  science. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  preliminary  steps  were 
taken  toward  transferring  the  collection  to  the  Provincial 
Government  of  New  Brunswick.  It  had  been  under- 
stood that  next  to  the  city  of  Calais  possessing  it  Mr. 
Boardman  had  himself  expressed  a  wish  that  it  might 
finally  go  to  New  Brunswick.  The  collection  repre- 
sented the  fauna  of  the  St.  Croix  valley,  which  was  as 
distinctively  Canadian  as  it  was  American ;  it  had  been 
largely  made  up  of  specimens  from  the  territory  on  both 
sides  of  the  St.  Croix  river  and  the  natural  home  of  the 
collection  should  clearly  be  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place 
where  it  was  made.  Hon.  William  F.  Todd  and  Hon. 
George  F.  Hill,  both  of  St.  Stephen,  N.  B.,  and  both 
members  of  the  Provincial  Parliament  were  interested  in 
having  the  collection  retained  in  New  Brunswick  and 
their  efforts  had  much  to  do  in  influencing  the  govern- 
ment to  its  purchase. 

Speaking  of  the  transfer  of  the  Boardman  collection  to 


102     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  New  Brunswick  government  The  Calais  Times  of 
December  27,  1900,  said  :  "  It  is  a  great  acquisition  to 
the  government  crown  land  office.  New  Brunswick's 
gain  is  an  irremediable  loss  to  Maine.  A  source  of  keen 
regret  is  the  fact  that  Mr.  Boardman  once  offered  this 
priceless  collection  as  a  gift  to  the  city  of  Calais  on  con- 
ditions that  could  have  been  met  with  ease  ;  but  his 
offer  was  not  accepted.  It  is  too  late  now  and  the 
poignancy  of  the  irreparable  loss  will  long  linger  in  the 
minds  of  all  intelligent  people  who  dwell  in  the  towns 
on  the  Maine  side  of  the  St.  Croix." 

From  Mr.  Boardman's  diary  it  appears  that  on  May 
30,  1900,  the  first  effort  toward  making  an  inventory  of 
the  contents  of  the  museum  with  a  view  to  its  sale  was 
made.  On  July  4  of  the  same  year  the  Provincial  Pre- 
mier, Hon.  L.  J.  Tweedie  and  the  Surveyor-General, 
Hon.  A.  T.  Dunn  of  Fredericton,  visited  Calais  and  made 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  entire  collection.  The 
result  of  this  visit  was  that  Mr.  Boardman  at  once  com- 
menced to  take  an  account  of  the  specimens  in  the  museum 
which  work  occupied  him  until  July  31,  while  various 
entries  in  the  diary  between  those  dates  tell  of  the  prog- 
ress of  the  work.  Finally,  on  December  8,  1900,  the 
sale  of  the  entire  collection  was  made  in  accordance  with 
the  following  indenture  : 

Memorandum  of  Agreement,  made  this  Eighth  day  of  Decem- 
ber, A.  D.  1900,  between  George  A.  Boardman  of  Calais,  in  the 
State  of  Maine,  one  of  the  United  States  of  America,  Gentle- 
man, of  the  first  part,  and  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  represented 
herein  by  the  Honourable  Albert  T.  Dunn,  Surveyor  General,  of 
the  second  part ;  — 

Witnesseth,  First  :  —  That  the  said  George  A.  Boardman  here- 
by sells  to   Her  Majesty  the  whole   collection  of  birds,  eggs, 


THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  103 

heads  of  animals,  horns,  &c,  all  as  contained  in  the  building  in 
Calais,  used  for  the  said  collection  and  specified  and  described  in 

a  list  furnished  to  the  said  surveyor-general,  for  the  sum  of 

,  said  amount  to  be  paid,  as  hereinafter  provided  for. 

Second :  —  Her  Majesty  hereby   agrees   to   pay   to   the   said 

George  A.  Boardman,  for  the  said  collection,  the  said  sum  of 

in  three  equal  payments  in  the  manner  and  at  the  times 

following,  viz :  the  first  one-third  portion  thereof  immediately 
after  the  close  of  the  next  ensuing  session  of  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  New  Brunswick,  the  second  one-third  portion  there- 
of immediately  after  the  close  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  to  be 
held  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
two,  and  the  last  one-third  portion  of  said  payment  immediately 
after  the  close  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  which  will  be  held  in 
the  Year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  three,  the 
last  two  payments  to  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  per 
annum,  from  the  time  of  delivery  of  the  said  collection  to  the 
said  surveyor-general,  or  his  agent. 

Third :  —  It  is  hereby  understood  and  agreed  that  the  said 
surveyor-general,  on  behalf  of  Her  Majesty,  may  take  delivery  of 
the  said  collection  immediately  after  the  execution  of  these  pres- 
ents, or  at  such  time  as  may  be  most  convenient  to  him. 

It  is  also  understood  that  if  the  surveyor-general  so  desires, 
payments  may  be  made  at  any  time  before  the  times  above  pro- 
vided for. 

In  witness  whereof  the  said  party  hereto  of  the  first  part  and 
the  said  surveyor-general,  on  behalf  of  Her  Majesty,  have  hereunto 
set  their  handg  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

(Signed)  A.  T.  Dunn, 
(Signed)  Wm.  F.  Todd.  Surveyor  General. 

Witness  to  signature  of 
A.  T.  Dunn, 
(Signed)  W.  P.  Flewelling. 

From  the  above  indenture  has  been  omitted  the  sum 
paid  by  the  government  of  New  Brunswick  for  the  col- 
lection.   But  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  same  was 


104    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

appraised  by  expert  scientists  as  to  its  commercial  cash 
value  and  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Boardman's  own  wish 
one  half  the  amount  was  discounted  by  which  he  gave 
the  Province  several  thousand  dollars. 

At  the  time  this  document  was  drawn  and  signed  Mr. 
Boardman  was  not  at  all  well.  From  that  date  he  was 
almost  daily  visited  by  his  regular  physician,  Dr.  W.  T. 
Black  and  frequent  entries  in  the  diary  made  the  record  : 
"Had  a  bad  day;"  "had  a  bad  night  —  did  not  sleep 
well,"  etc.  By  the  terms  of  the  sale  the  collection  was 
liable  to  be  immediately  removed,  but  as  Mr.  Boardman 
rapidly  grew  worse,  Mr.  Todd,  who  was  the  agent  of  the 
Provincial  government  in  charge  of  its  transportation, 
wisely  postponed  doing  so.  It  was  very  satisfactory  and 
comforting  to  Mr.  Boardman  to  know  that  his  loved  col- 
lection was  not  to  be  removed  during  his  life  and  that 
finally  it  was  to  go  to  a  government  which  would  house 
it  in  a  splendid  manner,  that  it  was  to  have  appropriate 
care  and  always  be  open  to  the  public  and  to  the  free 
use  of  scientific  students. 

The  preliminary  contract  for  the  transfer  of  the  col- 
lection, dated  December  8,  1900,  was  ratified  by  the  Pro- 
vincial Parliament  by  an  act  passed  April  3,  1901.  This 
act  is  Chapter  XX  of  First  Edward  VII,  and  is  as  follows  : 

An  Act  relating  to  the  Boardman  Collection  of  Birds  and  Animals. 

Sec.  Sec. 

1.     Preamble  setting  out  contract.     Gov-  2.     Duplicates    may   be  placed    in    Im- 
ernor  in    Council    authorized   to  perial  Institute  in  London  ;   pro- 

make   payments  as  provided    by  vision  for  preserving  collection, 

contract  out  of  current  revenues.  Passed  3d  April,  1901. 

Whereas  by  memorandum  of  agreement  made  on  the  eighth 
day  of  December,  A.  D.  1900,  between  George  A.  Boardman  of 
Calais,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  of  the  first  part,  and  Her  Majesty 
the  Queen,  represented  therein  by  the  Honorable  the  Surveyor- 
General,   of    the  second  part,   it   was  witnessed  that  the  said 


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THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  105 

George  A.  Boardman  thereby  sold  to  Her  Majesty  the  whole 
collection  of  birds,  eggs,  heads  of  animals,  horns,  etc.,  all  as 
contained  in  the  building  in  Calais,  used  for  the  said  collection, 
and  specified  and  described  in  a  list  furnished  to  the  said  Surveyor- 

( itiii  nil,  for  the  sum  of ,  which  amount  was  to  be 

paid  as  follows,  namely :  a  first  one-third  portion  thereof  imme- 
diately after  the  close  of  the  present  Session  of  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  the  Province,  the  second  one-third  portion  thereof 
immediately  after  the  close  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  to  be  held 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  two,  and 
the  last  oue-third  portion  of  said  payment  immediately  after  the 
close  of  the  Legislative  Assembly  which  will  be  held  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  three ;  the  said  last 
two  payments  to  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  per 
annum  from  the  time  of  delivery  of  the  said  collection  to  the  said 
Surveyor-General,  or  his  agent ;  and  it  is  desirable  to  make  pro- 
vision for  the  payment  of  the  said  amounts,  and  also  to  make 
other  provisions  as  hereinafter  enacted ; 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Legisla- 
tive Assembly  as  follows  :  — 

1.  The  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  is  hereby  authorized 
to  pay  the  said  amounts  in  the  manner  and  at  the  times  specified  in 
the  said  agreement,  the  same  to  be  paid  out  of  the  current 
revenues  of  the  Province. 

2.  The  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  is  hereby  authorized 
to  place  such  portion  of  the  said  collection,  being  duplicates,  as 
he  may  deem  advisable,  in  the  Imperial  Institute  in  London,  and 
also  to  make  necessary  provision  for  the  placing  and  keeping  of 
the  remainder  of  said  collection  within  the  Province,  and  for  that 
purpose  may  expend  a  sum  not  exceeding  fifteen  hundred  dollars, 
for  the  erection  and  equipment  of  a  suitable  building,  or  the 
equipment  of  a  suitable  room  therefor;  the  cost  of  such  building 
to  be  paid  out  of  the  current  revenues  of  the  Province. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Boardman  the  collection 
was  packed  and  shipped  to  Fredericton,  N.  B.,  under 
direction  of  Hon.    William  F.   Todd  of  the  Provincial 


106    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Parliament.  It  was  comprised  in  seventy-four  boxes 
which  included  the  birds,  nests,  and  eggs,  together  with 
the  animals,  skulls,  heads,  horns,  corals,  casts  of  fishes 
and  other  natural  history  specimens  which  made  up  the 
collection.  The  collection  is  now  installed  in  the  old 
supreme  court  room  of  the  Parliament  House  at  Fred- 
ericton,  N.  B.  This  room  is  twenty-eight  by  thirty-three 
feet  and  is  rather  imperfectly  lighted.  The  cases,  which 
are  quite  tall,  so  obstruct  the  light  that  it  is  impossible 
to  obtain  a  satisfactory  view  of  the  interior,  but  the 
accompanying  plan  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  room  while  the  plate  shows  the  beautiful 
Government  House  in  which  the  collection  is  deposited. 
There  are  seven  large  cases  in  the  room,  each  of  which 
has  several  shelves,  together  with  two  octagon  cases 
which  are  placed  around  pillars  which  support  the  ceiling. 
Against  the  wall  opposite  from  the  entrance  to  the  room 
out  of  the  main  hall  is  the  original  case  —  marked  A  — 
which  was  in  Mr.  Boardman's  Milltown,  N.  B.,  residence 
and  in  his  Calais  museum,  while  over  it  upon  the  wall  in 
large  letters  is  a  tablet  reading  :  The  Boardman  Collec- 
tion. This  original  case  has  in  it  from  140  to  150  species 
of  song  birds.  Around  the  walls  of  the  room  are  eleven 
cases,  in  an  inclined  position,  for  the  nests  and  eggs, 
while  upon  the  walls  in  various  places  are  disposed  the 
casts  and  paintings  of  fish,  with  heads  and  horns  of 
animals.  There  is  a  fine  pair  of  elk  horns  from  Oregon 
and  a  pair  of  moose  horns  from  Maine,  the  latter  of 
which  spread  fifty-six  inches,  with  eighteen  points  on 
each  horn,  having  very  wide  palmations.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  elegant  pairs  of  moose  horns  ever  taken  in  this 
State.    The  mounted  warblers  are  in  the  centre  octagon 


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THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  107 

cases ;  there  are  three  cases  of  water  birds,  with  four 
smaller  cases,  not  shown  in  the  plan,  the  latter  just  as 
taken  from  Mr.  Boardman's  museum.  The  mounted 
birds,  skins,  animals,  eggs,  nests  and  other  specimens  all 
have  attached  to  them  the  original  labels  written  and 
numbered  by  Mr.  Boardman. 

As  installed  in  its  present  home  the  collection  was 
arranged  by  Mr.  John  F.  Rogers  who  was  for  a  number 
of  years  principal  of  the  model  school  in  connection  with 
the  Provincial  Normal  School  at  Fredericton.  He  was 
fond  of  natural  history  and  had  made  quite  a  study  of  the 
habits  of  birds  and  animals  and  his  work  in  setting  up 
the  collection  was  very  satisfactory.  It  will  be  of  interest 
to  the  friends  of  science  to  know  that  under  section  two 
of  Act  XX  of  First  Edward  VII,  it  is  the  design  of  the 
Provincial  Government  to  erect  a  special  building  for 
the  housing  of  the  Boardman  collection.  It  is  under  the 
custody  of  the  Hon.  W.  P.  Flewelling,  Deputy  Surveyor 
General,  Crown  Lands  Department,  Province  of  New 
Brunswick. 

The  following  account  of  the  collection,  from  the  pen 
of  Mr.  Charles  Hallock,  appeared  in  Forest  and  Stream 
for  February  2,  1901  : 

Henceforth  the  unique  and  valuable  museum  collection  of  the 
late  George  A.  Boardman  who  passed  away  so  recently  at  his 
quiet  home  in  Calais,  Me.,  will  be  located  and  housed  at  Frederic- 
ton,  N.  B.,  in  one  of  the  best  Government  buildings,  where  it  will 
occupy  a  conspicuous  place  and  receive  the  care  and  attention 
which  it  deserves.  The  Hon.  Wm.  F.  Todd,  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Government,  who  is  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Boardman,  has 
charge  of  the  removal  and  installation  of  the  collection.  Indeed, 
he  was  about  to  ship  it  when  Mr.  Boardman  was  taken  ill,  but 
considerately  postponed  doing  so,  and  consequently  the  ingather- 
ing of  this  eminent  naturalist  remained  with  him  to  the  last,  much 


108     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

to  his  heart's  comfort  and  content,  for  the  momentary  parting 
with  it  at  such  a  juncture  would  have  been  like  speaking  a  final 
farewell  to  his  dearest  and  most  intimate  companions  and  friends. 

What  a  happy  relief  it  must  have  been  to  his  mind  to  have  this 
collection  so  opportunely  and  desirably  disposed  of.  Not  less  will 
his  New  Brunswick  friends  delight  to  do  him  honor.  My  own 
choice  would  have  selected  Fredericton  next  to  Calais  as  his 
beneficiary.  And  Canadians  are  warm  hearted,  honest,  faithful 
and  unpretentious  people,  as  I  have  always  found  them.  Almost 
every  week  I  receive  epistolary  testimony  from  some  of  them  to 
this  effect. 

Perhaps  it  is  better  that  Calais  did  not  receive  the  gift.  Years 
ago  Mr.  Boardman  gave  me  his  confidence,  to  a  certain  extent,  as 
to  the  want  of  appreciation  of  his  home  people  ("  a  prophet  is  not 
without  honor  except  in  his  own  country''),  the  municipality 
declining  his  repeated  overtures,  first,  on  the  plea  that  the  city 
had  no  suitable  building  for  the  collection,  and  afterwards  declin- 
ing to  erect  one.  And  it  serves  the  corporation  right  to  be  left 
out,  though  the  body  of  the  town's  people  will  sympathize  with 
us  all  in  the  regret  that  the  home  site  and  the  center  of  his  life 
work  could  not  have  been  selected  and  appropriated  for  this  dis- 
tinguished monument  of  his  labors.  It  is  a  grand  donation !  It 
represents  so  much,  not  only  of  the  local  fauna  of  that  interesting 
region,  but  so  much  persevering  study,  devotion  and  effort  of 
pursuit. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  a  classified  memorandum  of  the 
G.  A.  Boardman  collection,  but  I  have  been  told  by  the  proprietor 
that  there  were  more  than  3,000  birds  and  perhaps  half  that  number 
of  mammals  and  miscellaneous  subjects,  including  many  marine 
curiosities.  The  world  of  science  cannot  well  spare  such  con- 
tributors as  George  A.  Boardman  and  George  N.  Lawrence ;  both 
of  them  gone  within  a  decade. 

The  city  of  Fredericton,  the  home  of  the  Boardman 
collection,  is  the  capital  of  New  Brunswick  and  is 
situated  on  a  beautiful  intervale  on  the  west  side  of  the 
St.  John  river,  about  eighty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and 


THE  BOARDMAN  COLLECTION  109 

twenty-two  miles  by  rail  from  Fredericton  Junction  on 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad.  Its  population  is  some- 
thing over  7,000,  and  its  public  buildings  include  the 
Parliament  House  and  public  offices  of  the  Provincial 
government ;  eight  churches  ;  an  Episcopal  cathedral ; 
a  normal  school  for  the  training  of  teachers  ;  the  Vic- 
toria Hospital ;  city  hall,  and  the  University  of  New 
Brunswick.  In  the  assembly  chamber  of  the  Parliament 
House  are  many  historic  portraits  including  those  of 
George  III.  and  of  his  amiable  consort,  Queen  Charlotte, 
painted  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  with  those  of  Lord 
Sheffield  and  of  Lord  Glenelg.  The  Legislative  Library 
embraces  14,000  volumes,  one  of  the  most  highly  prized 
works  which  it  contains  being  one  of  the  original  folio 
sets  of  Audubon's  Birds  of  America  which  formerly 
belonged  to  King  Louis  Philippe  of  France,  father  of  the 
Duke  of  Orleans,  now  valued  at  $15,000.  As  Mr.  Board- 
man  often  visited  Fredericton  it  is  likely  he  knew  of  its 
possession  by  the  Legislative  Library  and  wanted  his 
own  birds  to  have  a  home  with  that  magnificent  work  of 
Audubon's.  It  is  certainly  a  happy  coincidence  that  the 
two  are  housed  in  the  same  fine  building  and  it  would 
have  been  a  dear  satisfaction  to  Mr.  Boardman  had  he 
known  his  collection  was  to  have  the  company  of  Audu- 
bon's splendid  work. 


CHAPTER  VII 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC   RESULTS 


THE  ornithological  museum  created  by  Mr.  Boardman 
will  always  remain  the  great  triumph  of  his  life  as  a 
naturalist.  It  is  indeed  a  sufficient  monument  to  the 
exactness  of  his  knowledge  in  that  branch  of  science  to 
which  he  was  devoted,  to  his  love  for  natural  history,  to 
his  application  and  industry  in  its  study  throughout  a 
long  period.  Other  men  devoted  to  science  have  left 
worthy  memorials  of  their  life-work  in  other  ways  — 
voluminous  treatises,  exact  and  learned  monographs, 
published  works  which  have  ranked  as  authoritative  in 
the  great  libraries  of  the  world.  It  is  Mr.  Boardman's 
monument  to  have  left  to  science  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  interesting  collections  in  ornithology  and  natural 
history  ever  gathered  by  a  private  individual  in  this 
country,  representing  a  life-time  of  active  study  and  pre- 
serving to  students  of  ornithology  a  collection  showing 
the  almost  complete  fauna  of  eastern  North  America. 
While  this  is  indeed  abundant  fame  for  one  individual 
much  can  be  said  for  Mr.  Boardman's  contributions  to 
the  literature  of  ornithology  and  general  natural  history. 
It  may  be  mentioned  at  the  outset  of  such  summary  of 
results  that  Mr.  Boardman  was  not  in  earlier  life  much 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  111 

given  to  literary  composition.  He  was  so  intensely 
engrossed  in  business  and,  after  business  cares  had  been 
largely  given  over  to  others,  was  so  devoted  to  travel  and 
collecting,  making  brief  notes  of  his  specimens  and  carry- 
ing on  an  extensive  correspondence  with  naturalists, 
that  he  had  little  time  for  finished  composition,  or  plac- 
ing in  elaborate  form  the  results  of  his  observations  and 
studies.  It  was  rather  his  work  to  assist  others,  to  study 
points  of  difference,  to  note  peculiarities  in  species,  to 
suggest  lines  of  inquiry  to  other  workers.  When  the 
first  results  of  his  studies  were  published  through  the 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  as  early  as  1862,  it 
was  done  at  the  solicitation  of  Prof.  A.  E.  Verrill  who 
edited  the  list  of  birds  then  printed,  because,  as  he  says, 
"  Mr.  Boardman  could  not  attend  to  it  himself."  And  so 
it  was  for  many  years.  He  was  so  much  engaged  in 
collecting  and  in  field  study  that  he  had  no  time  for 
extended  literary  composition.  It  was  only  in  late  life, 
after  his  ornithological  field  had  been  thoroughly 
explored  that  he  found  time  for  writing  those  delightful 
autobiographical  and  historical  sketches  which  for  two  or 
three  years  appeared  regularly  in  the  Calais  and  St. 
Stephen  newspapers.  These  show  what  interesting 
chapters  he  could  have  written  on  the  fauna  of  the  St. 
Croix,  based  upon  his  own  collections  and  field  studies, 
had  he  had  the  opportunity  and  set  himself  about  it  earlier 
in  life. 

Mr.  Boardman's  habits  of  observation  were  very  acute 
and  his  published  statements  noted  for  their  accuracy  and 
correctness.  If  there  was  anything  which  he  could  not 
tolerate  it  was  a  hasty,  imperfect  or  misleading  statement 
regarding  natural  history  in  any  published  work.    These 


112    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

gave  him  untold  annoyance.  When  a  certain  work  on 
the  birds  of  New  England  and  some  of  the  adjacent  states 
was  published  about  1867,  after  he  had  examined  it  he 
laid  it  down,  exclaiming  :  ' '  Oh  !  the  errors,  the  errors  !  ' ' 
—  and  seldom  looked  at  it  afterward  although  some  of 
the  errors  were  corrected  in  subsequent  editions. 

One  of  his  favorite  literary  exercises  was  the  answer- 
ing of  puzzling  questions  in  natural  history,  asked  by 
readers  of  the  journals  and  magazines.  In  one  of  the 
earlier  volumes  of  Forest  and  Stream  an  inquiry  appeared 
from  a  correspondent  wishing  to  know  who  that  man 
was  way  down  east  who  settled  all  the  disputed  points 
in  ornithology —  "  whether  the  woodcock  whistled  with 
his  bill  or  wing  ?  what  was  the  bird  known  as  fool-par- 
tridge in  the  west  ?  why  was  not  the  western  black  duck 
good  to  eat?"  etc.  He  took  delight  in  answering  all 
such  questions.  It  was  done  in  few  lines,  yet  with  great 
clearness  and  his  answers  were  always  the  final  word 
upon  the  subject.  The  editor  of  Forest  and  Stream,  in 
the  issue  for  January  26,  1901,  says  that  one  of  the  last 
letters  received  from  Mr.  Boardman,  only  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  was  written  in  kindly  response  to  the 
inquiry  of  a  correspondent  if  he  knew  of  a  single  authentic 
instance  of  the  taking  of  the  panther  in  Maine.  His  reply 
was  in  the  negative  and  he  added  :  "I  have  for  fifty  years 
been  looking  after  the  skull  of  a  panther  that  was  killed 
in  this  part  of  the  state  for  my  museum  and  have  not  been 
able  to  get  one." 

The  correctness  of  Mr.  Boardman's  statements  and 
opinions  upon  subjects  about  which  he  was  acquainted 
or  in  which  he  had  made  studies  may  well  be  illustrated 
by  his  views  regarding  the  introduction  and  naturaliza- 
tion of  European  game  birds  into  Maine.    In  1894-1895 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  113 

officers  of  the  Maine  Game  and  Protective  Association 
were  engaged  in  introducing  into  the  state  the  Messina 
quail,  Coturnix  communis,  the  common  migratory  quail 
of  Europe,  as  well  as  the  Capercailzie  or  Wood-grouse, 
the  largest  of  the  gallinaceous  birds  of  Europe. 

In  one  of  the  local  newspapers  Mr.  Boardman  had 
questioned  the  action  of  the  association  in  inducing  the 
State  Legislature  to  make  an  appropriation  for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  these  birds,  on  the  ground  that  it 
would  be  a  waste  of  effort  and  funds.  To  this  Mr. 
Edward  G.  Gay,  president  of  the  association,  replied  in 
a  lengthy  article  in  the  Phillips  Phonograph  of  February 
27,  1895.  The  real  substance  of  Mr.  Boardman's  state- 
ment was  simply  that  the  scheme  would  not  be  a  success, 
the  birds  would  not  become  naturalized  and  the  matter 
would  end  in  disappointment.  Mr.  Gay's  criticism  of 
Mr.  Boardman's  opinion  was  in  these  words  : 

The  Association  has  been  guided  by  some  of  the  best  and  most 
noted  game  bird  experts  of  our  own  state,  all  sections  of  this  uniou 
and  of  foreign  countries,  with  all  of  whom  I  have  been  in  constant 
correspondence.  The  practical  present  day  experience  of  these 
men  ought  certainly  to  count  for  as  much  as  the  theories  of 
naturalists  whose  knowledge  of  what  they  are  writing  about  is 
gleaned  wholly  from  pedantic  books  of  reference.  Let  me  say  to 
Mr.  Boardman  and  to  your  readers  that  I  have  not  spent  hundreds 
of  dollars  of  my  own  money  and  months  of  my  time,  nor  have  the 
other  friends  of  this  beneficent  movement  also  sacrificed  money 
and  time  to  promote  this  object  without  knowing  what  we  were 
doing  and  the  people  of  this  state  will  have  no  reason  to  regret 
any  action  the  legislature  of  Maine  may  take  in  carrying  to  a 
successful  conclusion  the  work  already  so  auspiciously  begun. 

It  is  sufficient  answer  to  this  criticism  that  Mr.  Board- 
man's   opinion   was  correct.     Many  of  the  quail  were 


114    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

liberated  near  Calais,  but  good  hunters  and  woodsmen 
say  they  were  never  seen  after  the  first  or  second  season. 
Some  bred  but  none  were  ever  seen  afterward.  The  best 
scientific  authorities  upon  this  point  say  :  ' '  This  quail 
—  the  Messina  —  has  several  times  been  imported  into 
the  United  States,  but  has  failed  thus  far  to  become 
naturalized." 

In  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club, 
Volume  VI.,  page  126,  January,  1880,  in  a  list  of  birds 
of  Eong  Island  by  De  E.  Berier,  Fort  Hamilton,  E.  I., 
occurs  this  note  :  ' '  Falco  gyrf alco  absoletus  ;  Eabrador 
gyrfalcon.  Mr.  J.  Wallace  of  New  York  informs  me  that 
a  fine  specimen  of  this  bird,  killed  in  the  fall,  two  or 
three  years  ago,  on  the  north  shore  of  Eong  Island  in 
Queens  county,  passed  through  his  hands.  It  is  now  in 
the  collection  of  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman."  Without 
doubt  this  is  the  falcon  which  Mr.  Boardman  saw  a 
hunter  bring  into  the  market  in  New  York,  when  he  was 
on  one  of  his  visits  to  that  city  and  referred  to  in  a  note 
found  among  his  papers.  The  note  says  Mr.  Boardman 
bought  the  bird,  had  John  Wallace  skin  it  and  took  it 
to  Washington  with  him.  When  in  New  York  he  gen- 
erally went  around  to  the  markets  to  see  what  he  could 
find  that  was  new  and  always  took  the  rare  or  unusual 
specimens  to  Washington  for  identification.  One  of 
these  was  a  strange  duck  which  Mr.  Boardman  purchased 
at  a  market  in  New  York  in  1871,  which  he  had  Mr. 
Wallace  skin.  This  was  taken  to  Washington  for  identi- 
fication and  caused  something  of  a  puzzle  to  the  Smith- 
sonian experts,  by  whom  it  was  at  first  thought  to  be  a 
cross  but  afterward  proved  to  be  the  Crested  Duck  of 
Europe,  according  to  a  letter  from  Prof.  Baird  dated  at 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  115 

Woods  Holl,  June  22,  1871.  These  incidents  show  how 
accurate  Mr.  Boardman  was  in  his  knowledge  and  how 
quick  he  was  to  detect  anything  new  or  to  notice  the 
slight  variations  in  species  which  an  ordinary  sportsman 
would  pass  unnoticed. 

One  of  Mr.  Boardman's  sons  tells  the  following  interest- 
ing incident :  "  Many  years  ago  I  was  with  my  father 
and  Prof.  Baird  in  the  garden  at  Milltown,  N.  B.,  when 
father  said  :  '  I  had  a  black  buzzard,  professor,  the  other 
day,  killed  near  here.'  Prof  Baird  replied,  '  Oh  no,  Mr. 
Boardman,  you  must  be  mistaken  ;  they  seldom  come  as 
far  north  as  Washington.  It  must  have  been  a  turkey 
buzzard.'  Father  replied :  '  I  know  a  black  buzzard  as 
well  as  I  know  a  crow.'  The  professor,  however,  was 
not  satisfied.  In  a  few  minutes  a  man  drove  into  the  yard 
with  a  box.  I  opened  it,  took  out  the  bird  and  carried 
it  around  where  they  were  talking.  Father  said  :  '  Pro- 
fessor, what  do  you  call  that  ? '  He  replied,  '  a  black 
buzzard.'  Then  father  took  the  bird  to  his  bird  house 
and  the  professor  said  to  me  :  '  I  find  your  father  is  always 
correct  in  all  our  disputes  about  native  birds.  When  we 
read  the  manuscript  of  our  book  at  Peaks  Island  (Baird, 
Brewer  and  Ridgway's  History  of  North  American 
Birds),  your  father  did  not  agree  with  Dr.  Brewer  in 
many  of  his  statements,  so  I  decided  with  your  father. 
Dr.  Brewer  has  great  knowledge  of  birds  and  eggs  and 
has  long  been  a  student  in  that  line,  but  your  father's 
knowledge  came  from  association  with  the  birds  and  the 
studies  of  their  habits  in  the  woods  and  his  observations 
were  correct.' " 

Pioneer  field  ornithologist  in  Maine  that  he  was,  Mr. 
Boardman  made  his  studies  and  recorded  his  observa- 
tions upon  the  birds  of  eastern  North  America  before  the 


116     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

present  school  of  ornithologists  had  begun  their  work  and 
all  recent  writers  have  been  indebted  to  his  results  for 
much  of  their  knowledge  of  Maine  birds.  He  was  the 
first  to  describe  many  species  and  found  the  first  nests 
and  recorded  the  nesting  habits  of  many  birds  then  new 
to  science.  One  of  these  was  that  of  the  large  Sheldrake  ; 
another  that  of  the  Canada  Jay ;  another  that  of  the 
Crossbill ;  another  that  of  the  American  Merganser. 
Winfred  A.  Stearns,  in  his  New  England  Bird  Life, 
acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Boardman  for  a 
description  of  the  nest  of  the  Canada  Jay,  while  Mr. 
George  Bird  Grinnell,  in  his  American  Duck  Shooting, 
New  York,  1901,  makes  no  less  than  six  acknowledg- 
ments to  Mr.  Boardman  for  original  information  and 
prefaces  his  account  of  the  nesting  habits  of  the  American 
Merganser,  pages  227-228,  by  saying  :  "  Definite  infor- 
mation as  to  the  breeding  habits  of  the  American  Mer- 
ganser were  first  given  by  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman  of 
Calais,  Maine,  to  whom  ornithology  owes  so  much." 
The  entire  account  appears  in  his  paper  on  Tree  Nest- 
ing Ducks,  in  this  volume. 

Writing  to  Mr.  Boardman  under  date  of  December  2, 
1862,  Prof.  Baird  says  :  "I  had  not  before  known  of  the 
occurrence  of  the  banded  three-toed  woodpecker  so  far 
south.  Try  and  get  us  a  good  specimen."  This  and 
similar  statements  found  in  his  correspondence  show 
how  constantly  Mr.  Boardman  was  finding  out  and  record- 
ing new  things  about  birds  which  information  he  was 
freely  giving  to  the  leading  naturalists  of  the  country  as 
his  contribution  to  science,  seldom  wishing  to  be  known 
as  the  first  to  establish  such  facts  if  only  science  in 
general  received  the  benefit  of  the  same.    Many  instances 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  117 

in  the  letters  of  Prof.  Baird  might  be  quoted  to  show  the 
esteem  in  which  Mr.  Boardman's  acquirements  in  ornithol- 
ogy were  held  by  that  great  naturalist.  Writing  to  him 
on  November  15,  1865,  Prof.  Baird  says:  "We  were 
advised  of  thirty-two  boxes  of  arctic  eggs,  etc.,  this  fall 
—  they  will  not  be  here,  however,  till  May  or  June,  not 
getting  to  St.  Paul  before  winter.  In  the  lot  are  1200 
more  Ptarmigan  eggs ;  I  think  when  they  come  I  will 
send  for  you  to  help  catalogue  them.  A  correspondent 
near  L,ake  Winnipeg  advises  of  eggs  of  Franklin's  gull, 
crested  grebe,  red  head  duck,  etc.,  all  new  to  us." 
Again  writing  Mr.  Boardman  September  26,  1877,  Prof. 
Baird  says  :  "  The  discovery  of  a  Pine  Grosbeak  on  Mt. 
Victor  is  a  curious  fact.  Can  you  not  arrange  to  have 
some  one  go  there  in  the  spring  after  the  eggs  ?"  These 
instances  show  the  confidence  placed  in  Mr.  Boardman 
by  America's  great  ornithologist. 

All  writers  upon  New  England  bird  life  and  generally 
upon  the  birds  of  eastern  North  America  have  been  gen- 
erous in  their  acknowledgments  to  Mr.  Boardman  to 
whom  they  have  been  under  obligation  for  many  facts 
stated  by  no  previous  naturalist.  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer,  writ- 
ing of  Lagopus  albus,  the  Willow  Ptarmigan,  in  Bulletin 
of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club,  Vol.  II.,  page  46, 
says  the  statement  he  has  made  ' '  rests  on  the  high 
authority  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman."  Regarding  this 
species  Mr.  Stearns  says  in  New  England  Bird  Ljfe,  Part 
II.,  page  145  :  "  Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman  assures  me  that  he 
has  been  unable  to  satisfy  himself  that  this  Ptarmigan 
has  ever  been  known  to  occur  in  New  England." 

William  Dutcher,  in  his  monograph  on  The  Labrador 
Duck,  in  The  Auk,  Vol.  VIII.,  page  201,  April,  1891, 


118    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

makes  no  less  than  seven  quotations  from  notes  by  Mr. 
Boardman,  who  says  the  last  one  of  this  species  he  knows 
to  have  been  taken  at  Grand  Manan  was  shot  in  April, 
1871.  "  I  sent  the  skin  to  John  Wallace  of  New  York 
to  be  mounted  for  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  Not  knowing  its  value,  Wallace  let  some 
one  get  the  skin  from  him  and  it  was  thus  lost  to  the 
Smithsonian  as  he  could  not  tell  who  had  it."  Writing 
to  Mr.  Dutcher,  October  29,  1890,  Mr.  Boardman  says : 

' '  I  began  to  collect  birds  about  fifty  years  ago  and 
wanted  to  get  a  pair  of  each  species  —  I  did  not  care  for 
more.  The  Labrador  Duck  I  procured  without  much 
trouble  and  if  I  had  any  duplicates  sent  to  me  I  did  not 
save  them  any  more  than  I  should  have  saved  duplicates 
of  Scoters  or  Old  Squaws.  I  have  no  doubt  I  may  have 
had  others.  I  had  shooters  all  about  the  coast  of  Grand 
Manan  and  Bay  of  Fundy  sending  me  anything  new  or 
odd.  Anything  they  sent  me  that  I  already  had  mounted 
generally  went  to  the  manure  heap.  About  twenty  years 
since,  Messrs.  John  G.  Bell  and  D.  G.  Elliot  of  New 
York  wrote  to  me  to  try  and  get  them  some  Labrador 
Ducks.  I  wrote  to  all  my  collectors,  but  the  ducks  had 
all  gone.  It  seems  very  strange  that  such  a  bird  should 
become  extinct  as  it  was  a  good  flier." 

Prof.  Ora  W.  Knight,  in  his  Birds  of  Maine,  published 
in  1897,  says:  "George  A.  Boardman  of  Calais  has 
observed  and  taken  two  hundred  and  fifty-seven  species 
within  Washington  county.  His  list  is  copiously  anno- 
tated and  is  the  result  of  long  years  of  careful  observa- 
tion." 

Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway  who  published  their  His- 
tory of  North  American  Birds  between  1874  and  1884, 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  119 

refer  frequently  to  the  observations  of  Mr.  Boardman  and 
quote  from  information  specially  furnished  by  him.  Upon 
page  after  page  throughout  the  five  noble  volumes  of  that 
work  acknowledgments  are  given  to  Mr.  Boardman.  Mr. 
Charles  Hallock,  in  his  Camp  Eife  in  Florida,  gives 
acknowledgment  to  Mr.  Boardman  as  "  that  well-known 
student  of  natural  history  whose  writings  have  special 
value  to  the  scientist . ' '  Other  writers  who  have  benefited 
from  his  studies  and  given  due  credit  are  Elliott  Coues, 
D.  H.  Minot,  Robert  Ridgway,  Everett  Smith,  E.  A. 
Samuels,  Ruthven  Deane,  N.  Clifford  Brown,  J.  A.  Allen, 
A.  E.  Verrill  and  Charles  Hallock,  as  well  as  the  lesser 
known  authors  who  have  written  about  New  England 
birds. 

In  volume  third  of  the  American  Naturalist,  page  837 
—  September,  1869 — Mr.  Boardman  has  an  interesting 
note  on  the  collection  and  care  of  birds'  eggs.  He  says  : 
In  collecting  eggs  the  utmost  importance  is  to  be  placed 
upon  the  proper  identification  of  the  specimens.  To 
every  bird's  leg  attach  a  label  noting  sex,  date  of  cap- 
ture and  locality.  Blow  the  eggs  with  a  blow-pipe. 
Make  but  one  hole  and  that  on  the  side.  Above  the 
hole  write  the  initials  of  the  collector  and  under  it  the 
number,  also  the  Baird  Smithsonian  number.  All  the 
eggs  in  one  nest  should  have  the  same  number.  Suppose 
I  take  my  first  nest,  Canada  Jay,  March  15,  with  three 
eggs.  I  mark  all  three  eggs,  say  No.  5,  and  keep  a 
small  note  book,  properly  ruled,  in  which  I  record  the 
date,  name  of  bird  and  number  of  eggs,  number  of  egg 
in  Baird  list,  and  remarks,  as  :  "Taken  by  myself  (or  as 
the  case  may  be)  out  of  a  small  spruce,  six  feet  from  the 
ground,  old  bird  shot,"  etc.    A  printed  label  with  the 


120    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

name  of  the  bird  looks  very  neatly.  In  the  case  of  small 
birds  always  preserve  the  nests  as  they  are  often  more 
interesting  and  valuable  than  the  eggs  themselves.  All 
the  eggs  of  the  same  nest,  and  the  nest,  being  numbered 
the  same,  by  a  reference  to  the  little  note-book  the 
identification  of  any  eggs  (even  if  they  get  mixed)  is 
very  easy  and  the  history  of  any  specimen  can  be  ascer- 
tained. If  an  egg  has  been  set  on  very  long  this  will  be 
found  a  good  process  to  clean  out  the  embryo.  Make  a 
little  larger  hole  than  usual  in  the  side,  pick  out  as 
much  of  'the  \-oung  bird  as  3-ou  safely  can  and  then  blow 
water  into  the  egg  with  a  blow-pipe  ;  let  it  stand  for 
some  days  in  a  dark  drawer  or  box.  Keep  repeating 
this  process  about  ever}*  third  day,  gradually  blowing 
more  water  into  the  shell  and  picking  a  little  out  till  the 
whole  of  the  embryo  has  decayed  and  is  removed.  This 
is  a  safe  and  sure  way  for  a  rare  and  valuable  egg.  I 
often  put  large  eggs  where  the  cabinet-bug  —  Dermetes 
—  can  get  into  them  and  clean  out  any  foreign  matter 
adhering  to  the  shell. 

Among  the  subjects  in  which  Mr.  Boardman  was 
interested  were  those  of  albinism  and  melanism.  These 
singular  freaks  in  nature,  the  perfectly  white  bird  with 
pink  eyes,  the  parentage  of  which  was  of  a  different  fixed 
type ;  with  the  opposite  of  albinism,  melanism,  the 
abnormal  development  of  black  or  dark  pigment  in  the 
pelage  of  an  animal  or  the  plumage  of  a  bird,  interested 
Mr.  Boardman  greatly.  He  had  the  largest  collection  of 
albinos  among  his  birds  of  any  private  collector  in  the 
United  States.  In  his  museum  were  the  following  — 
the  list  having  been  copied  from  the  catalogue  of  birds 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  121 

which  went  with  his  collection  to  the  New  Brunswick 
government : 

Mocking  Bird,  Common  Crow, 

Bobolink,  Ruffed  Grouse  (2), 

Suow  Birds  (2),  Butter  Ball, 

Barn  Swallow,  Robins  (1  pair), 

Red-wing  Blackbird,  Baltimore  Oriole, 

Purple  Finch,  Bank  Swallow, 

Song  Sparrow,  Rail, 

Cow  Bunting,  Wilson's  Snipe  (2), 

Savannah  Sparrow,  Woodcock, 

Chipping  Sparrow,  Cedar  Bird, 

Little  Black-head  Duck,  Red-tail  Hawk. 

In  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club, 
Vol.  III.,  page  47,  January,  1878,  appears  the  following 
note  on  the  melanism  of  the  Robin  —  Turdus  migratorius 
—  by  Elliott  Coues,  which  is  very  interesting  : 

A  case  of  melanism  of  Turdus  migratorius,  much  less  frequent 
(except  in  Falconidae)  than  leucism,  comes  to  my  knowledge 
through  the  atcention  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman,  who  desires  me  to 
make  a  note  of  it  for  the  Bulletin.  The  young  Robin,  uas  black 
as  a  Grackle,"'  is  still  living  in  Mr.  Eoardman's  possession.  About 
two  months  ago  this  ornithologist  heard  of  a  nest  of  black  Robins 
being  taken  at  St.  John,  and  wrote  to  the  owner  or  collector  about 
it.  The  person,  however,  lost  his  life  in  the  great  fire  which 
occurred  there,  and  Mr.  Boardman,  not  liking  to  trouble  the 
family  by  writing  under  such  circumstances,  went  to  St.  John  and 
inquired  about  the  black  Robins.  The  story  proved  true,  and  one 
of  the  birds  was  purchased.  "When  I  first  got  the  bird,  "writes 
Mr.  Boardman."  he  was  in  pretty  good  plumage,  but  his  feathers 
are  now  half  out,  and  I  am  hoping  that  he  will  not  disappoint  me 
by  coming  out  red.  Most  of  the  feathers  on  his  head  and  neck 
are  new,  I  think,  and  jet  black.  His  tail  is  now  gone,  but  that  was 
pure  black  too.  I  see  no  signs  of  the  normal  plumage."  Mr. 
Boardman  writes  me  later,  under  date  of  September  23,  that  he 
has  been  much   interested   in  watching   the  moult  of  the  black 


122   THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Robin,  and  says :  "He  acts  as  if  he  were  going  to  be  an  albino. 
His  new  tail  is  about  half  grown  out,  and  is  nearly  white,  with  a 
black  stripe  down  each  feather.  His  breast,  head,  neck  and  back 
are  jet  black,  but  very  much  out  of  feather.  He  would  now  make 
a  funny  specimen  —  part  albinic,  part  melanistic."  The  parents  of 
these  young  were  not  peculiar  in  color.  Since  the  above  paragraph 
was  penned,  the  bird  has  been  killed,  stuffed  and  sent  to  the 
Smithsonian  where  I  have  seen  it.  It  is  black,  with  white  wings 
and  tail.  — December  15,  1877. 

Previous  to  writing  to  Prof.  Coues  about  this  black 
robin  he  had  written  to  Prof.  Baird,  as  appears  from  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Boardman,  dated  September  26,  1877,  in 
which  he  says  :  "I  would  not  interfere  with  the  move- 
ments of  the  Black  Robin.  I^et  him  turn  himself  into  a 
white  one  if  he  chooses.  Do  not  kill  him  until  he  has 
completed  his  vagaries.  You  must  write  out  the  whole 
subject  in  detail  and  publish  it.  It  will  be  of  very  great 
interest."  On  December  5,  1877,  Prof.  Baird  writes: 
"  Much  obliged  to  you  for  sending  the  robin  and  I  shall 
probably  be  able  to  acknowledge  its  receipt  before  closing 
this  letter.  In  your  article  about  the  bird  give  first  its 
history ;  how  it  came  into  your  possession  ;  what  its 
coloration  was  when  you  had  it ;  when  it  moulted ;  what 
change  took  place  then  ;  how  long  this  was  in  operation  ; 
whether  the  single  feathers  changed  their  color  from 
white  to  colored,  or  the  reverse  ;  whether  the  change  was 
in  new  feathers  coming  out,"  etc.  Writing  on  December 
12,  of  the  same  year,  he  says  :  "  The  Black  Robin  was 
received  and  is  a  great  curiosity,  greater  than  I  antici- 
pated from  your  letter."  What  an  interesting  thing  is  a 
bird,  especially  if  it  be  a  black  robin  or  a  white  crow. 

While  Mr.  Boardman's  greatest  love  of  natural  history 
objects  was  for  that  of  birds,  he  was  well  informed  upon 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  123 

all  other  branches  of  natural  history  and  out-door  life, 
was  an  experienced  woodsman  and  a  famous  and  enthusi- 
astic angler.  The  adjacent  lakes,  streams  and  salt  water 
estuaries  of  the  St.  Croix  system  in  the  days  when  Mr. 
Boardman  was  in  his  prime,  constantly  furnished  him 
with  the  best  fish  that  ever  graced  a  hook  —  not  only  the 
pelagic  roamers  of  the  ocean,  but  the  landlocked  salmon, 
togue,  trout  and  salmon  of  the  waters  inland,  the  lakes 
and  streams  which  he  knew  so  well.  Prof.  P  .  W.  Glover, 
for  many  years  in  the  United  States  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  was  a  comrade  of  his  in  the  days 
when  landlocked  salmon  bore  the  name  of  Salmo  gloveri ; 
and  the  two  were  the  first  to  determine  the  species  and 
class  it  accordingly.  In  an  entertaining  letter  dated  at 
Calais,  May  1,  1887,  to  Mr.  Charles  Hallock,  Mr.  Board- 
man  enumerates  some  of  his  earlier  angling  friends,  from 
which  an  extract  is  made  : 

There  were  Rev.  Dr.  George  W.  Bethune ;  Rev.  James  Smith, 
a  Baptist  minister  of  Philadelphia ;  Geo.  P.  Trott  of  Philadelphia ; 
George  Dyer,  a  lawyer  of  Washington,  D.  C. ;  G.  P.  Whitney  of 
Boston,  a  noted  fisherman,  with  Ben  French,  Stephen  Pineo,  John 
Pollice  and  Frank  Waite  as  river  men  and  guides.  Senator  George 
F.  Edmunds  was  up  once  or  twice  with  one  of  my  sons,  and  had 
great  sport.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  his  father  were  up,  and 
also  Walter  M.  Brackett,  the  fish  painter  of  Boston ;  my  brother, 
Wm.  H.  Boardman  and  Geo.  M.  Porter  of  St.  Stephen.  Mr.  Bab- 
cock  of  Boston,  died  from  snake  bite  in  Florida  at  Pine  Island 
two  years  ago.  Frank  Kennedy,  also  a  fisherman,  was  with  him. 
Stimpson  H.  Dennison,  Boston;  Geo.  H.  Richards,  Boston;  his 
father,  Francis  Richards,  and  Uncle  Henry  Richards  used  to  come 
up  years  ago ;  Judge  Ritchie  of  New  Brunswick ;  Dr.  Leith  Adams, 
Prof.  Bailey  of  Fredericton,  N.  B.,  and  many  others  whom  I  do 
not  now  recall  to  mind.  It  is  over  fifty  years  ago  since  I  began 
to  go  to  the  lakes,  and  I  can  see  great  changes.     Fish  then  were 


124      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

very  abundant,  but  have  now  been  killed  by  tanneries,  pickerel,  etc. 
Our  St.  Croix  river  used  to  be  a  great  breeding  place  for  water 
birds,  but  since  pickerel  were  put  in  about  thirty  years  ago  they 
have  most  all  left.  Pickerel  destroy  the  chicks,  so  that  very  few 
ducks  or  grebe  now  breed  with  us.  Year  before  last  there  was 
very  good  salmon  fishing  with  fly  just  above  the  toll  bridge 
between  Calais  and  Milltown.  Some  were  taken  last  year,  but  not 
so  many  as  in  former  years. 

One  of  Mr.  Boardman's  sons  furnishes  the  following 
interesting  incidents  showing  the  exactness  of  his  infor- 
mation regarding  bird  life  and  the  estimation  in  which 
he  was  held  by  learned  men  in  Great  Britain  :  ' '  Father 
did  not  begin  seriously  his  ornithological  collection  until 
he  had  been  in  business  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  therefore  brought  to  it  the  trained  instinct  and  exact 
knowledge  of  a  thorough  business  man.  He  spent  nearly 
twenty  winters  in  the  state  of  Florida,  and  while  there, 
from  1868  to  1873,  he  made  a  collection  of  the  birds  of 
that  state  for  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  Prof.  Spencer 
F.  Baird,  who  succeeded  Prof.  Henry  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  afterwards  as  Fish 
Commissioner  of  the  United  States,  stated  that  father 
was  the  only  one  whose  returns  to  the  Institution  needed 
no  correction.  Henry  Osborne,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  was  the  president  and  general  superintendent  of 
the  railroad  running  from  St.  Andrews  to  DeBeck  Junc- 
tion was  something  of  a  naturalist  and  a  great  friend  of 
my  father.  He  now  lives  in  London,  England.  About 
four  years  ago  I  lunched  with  him  in  London  at  the 
Carlton  Club.  He  kindly  took  me  about  to  the  London 
Society  of  Natural  History,  the  British  Museum,  the 
Zoological  Gardens  of  London,  and  introduced  me  to  the 
managers   thereof,    and    I   confess   I    was   not    a   little 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  125 

surprised  at  the  acquaintance  they  had  with  father's  writ- 
ings as  an  ornithologist  and  a  man  of  exact  knowledge 
on  scientific  matters.  Mr.  Osborne  stated  to  me  that  he 
considered  father  the  best  friend  he  ever  had ;  that  his 
advice  and  counsel,  of  which  he  availed  himself  con- 
tinually while  in  this  country,  saved  him  at  least  once 
from  bankruptcy.  I  also  visited  Henry  E.  Dresser  at 
Topclyffe  Grange,  Farnborough,  Beckenham,  Kent, 
England,  who,  together  with  the  oldest  son  of  Baron 
Rothschild,  brought  out  the  most  elaborate  and  learned 
work  on  the  Birds  of  Europe  ever  published,  with  life  size 
portraits  of  the  birds  in  colors.  Mr.  Dresser  visited  father 
at  Calais  in  1860  or  1861,  and  speaks  not  only  all  the 
European  languages,  Russian  included,  but  also  Chinese 
and  was  for  many  years  in  correspondence  with  father. 
Mr.  Dresser  informed  me  that  in  the  comparison  betweeu 
the  American  and  European  birds  of  kindred  species,  in 
which  there  is  quite  a  difference  in  size  and  coloring  in 
many  instances,  he  relied  outside  of  his  own  experience 
more  fully  upon  father's  descriptions  than  that  of  any 
other  collector." 

The  formation  of  Mr.  Boardman's  large  private  col- 
lection in  ornithology  represents  but  a  part  of  his  work 
of  this  kind  during  the  years  in  which  he  was  engaged  in 
active  field  stud}7  and  collecting.  He  carried  on  an 
extended  correspondence  with  naturalists  in  all  parts  of 
this  country,  in  New  Brunswick,  in  Canada  and  in  Eng- 
land. With  many  of  his  correspondents  he  also  engaged 
in  a  regular  and  business-like  system  of  exchanging 
specimens,  his  correspondence  showing  how  extensive 
these  exchanges  were.  He  made  many  gifts  to  institu- 
tions and   museums,    including  the    Boston   Society    of 


126    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Natural  History,  Boston,  Mass. ;  Museum  of  Compara- 
tive Zoology,  Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass.  ; 
Essex  Institute,  Salem,  Mass. ;  Portland  Society  of  Nat- 
ural History,  Portland,  Maine ;  Natural  History  Society 
of  New  Brunswick,  St.  John,  N.  B.;  Zoological  Society 
of  London,  London,  Eng.,  and  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion and  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  also  exchanged  specimens  with  the  commercial  nat- 
uralists in  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

On  nearly  every  one  of  his  vessels  that  carried  lumber 
to  foreign  ports  a  box  of  specimens  was  sent  by  Mr.  Board- 
man  to  some  correspondent  and  often  separate  smaller 
boxes  and  parcels  to  other  individuals  were  included. 
Naturalists  were  constantly  writing  to  him  for  specimens 
and  his  response  to  their  requests  were  always  liberal  and 
prompt.  Mr.  Boardman's  largest  contribution  was  to 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington,  D.  C,  regard- 
ing which  the  Secretary,  Prof.  S.  P.  Langley,  says : 
"  The  records  here  show  that  Mr.  Boardman  contributed 
to  the  collections  forty-eight  accessions,  consisting  largely 
of  birds  and  bird  skins  and  comprising  in  all  nearly  two 
hundred  specimens.  The  most  noteworthy  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  gifts  to  the  Institution  were  several  specimens  of 
the  now  extinct  Labrador  Duck  ( Camptolaimus  labrador- 
zusj,  which  is  very  rare,  a  single  skin  being  worth  at  the 
present  time  about  $1,000." 

In  reference  to  this  very  valuable  contribution  to  the 
Smithsonian  it  is  related  that  when  in  New  York,  on  one 
of  his  visits  to  the  South,  he  went  to  the  museum  in 
Central  Park,  which  had  some  duplicates  of  these  ducks 
and  the  director  ordered  an  assistant  to  pack  the  ducks 
and  send  themto  Mr.  Boardman's  address  in  Washing- 
ton.   Upon  his  return  from  the  south,  in  the  spring,  he 


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SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  127 

was  surprised  to  learn  from  Prof.  Baird  that  they  had 
not  come.  When  on  reaching  New  York  he  went  to  the 
museum  and  told  the  director  that  he  had  not  received 
the  ducks.  The  director  sent  for  his  assistant  and  asked 
why  he  did  not  send  the  ducks  to  Mr.  Boardman  as 
instructed  last  fall.  He  replied  that  he  did  not  think  that 
the  director  knew  how  valuable  they  were,  to  which  he 
replied  that  there  were  ' '  no  duplicates  in  the  museum 
too  valuable  for  Mr.  Boardman." 

Among  the  animals  in  which  Mr.  Boardman  was  much 
interested  were  our  native  bears.  Writing  in  Forest  and 
Stream  of  March  4,  1899,  about  the  ways  of  bears,  he 
says  :  "I  have  found  great  trouble  in  getting  specimens 
of  very  young  bears.  The  hunters,  always  in  a  hurry  to 
get  their  bear  bounties,  take  them  to  the  treasurer  for  the 
money  and  he  cuts  off  the  nose  from  the  skin  of  the  old 
one  and  the  whole  head  of  the  little  ones.  In  my  many 
winters  in  the  south  and  in  California,  where  bears  do  not 
den,  I  have  never  been  able  from  the  hunters  to  find  one 
nor  ever  had  seen  one  until  it  was  old  enough  to  follow 
the  mother."  Great  was  Mr.  Boardman's  delight,  there- 
fore, when,  in  February,  1900,  one  of  his  woodsmen 
found  a  female  bear  in  a  den  with  three  cubs  —  "  queer 
little  things, ' '  he  says  they  were  in  an  article  published 
in  Forest  and  Stream  of  March  17  of  that  year.  "  They 
weighed  about  twelve  ounces  each ;  length  from  end  of 
nose  to  end  of  hind  toe,  twelve  inches  —  not  much  larger 
than  a  full  grown  red  squirrel.  They  lived  about  a  week 
after  the  old  one  was  killed.  From  the  umbilicus  being 
entirely  healed  I  should  judge  them  about  two  weeks 
old."  A  photograph  of  these  young  cubs  was  published 
in  Forest  and  Stream  and  is  here  reproduced. 


128     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mr.  Boardman  sent  a  copy  of  this  photograph  to  his 
grand-daughter,  Marjorie  Boardman  at  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  writing  her  a  pretty  letter  February  22,  1900,  in 
which  he  said  :  "I  wrote  your  father  about  my  woods- 
man who  killed  an  old  mother  bear  that  had  three  little 
baby  bears  that  did  not  have  their  eyes  open.  They 
only  lived  about  a  week  after  the  mother  was  killed.  It 
was  too  bad  to  kill  the  old  mother  bear,  but,  I  suppose 
she  had  no  business  to  have  been  a  bear."  No  natural 
history  specimens  which  Mr.  Boardman  ever  had  pleased 
him  more  than  those  cubs,  as  he  considered  them  very 
rare. 

Mr.  Boardman  was  a  naturalist  of  the  old  school  and 
employed  the  methods  of  the  old  field  naturalists  in  his 
studies  and  his  collecting — "first  shoot  your  bird." 
But  there  was  nothing  wanton  in  his  work.  He  was  care- 
ful and  humane.  Even  as  early  as  1869  he  deplored  the 
wholesale  slaughter  of  the  birds  in  Florida,  killed  by  the 
hundreds  for  their  plumes  and  at  that  time  was  anxious 
that  laws  should  be  enacted  and  enforced  for  their  pro- 
tection before  they  should  become  exterminated.  Eater 
our  own  laws  for  bird  protection  and  the  requirements  of 
a  license  to  take  birds  for  scientific  purposes  met  with  his 
earnest  and  hearty  support.  Practical  woodsman  that  he 
was,  as  well  as  naturalist,  Mr.  Boardman  knew  the  whole 
art  of  woodcraft.  He  was  used  to  camps  and  acquainted 
with  camping  outfits.  He  knew  all  the  birds  of  the  woods 
by  their  song,  his  favorite  warbler  being  the  Hermit 
Thrush.  He  knew  all  about  guns  and  dogs.  In  one  of 
his  autobiographical  sketches  Mr.  Boardman  recalls  that 
in  his  early  life  the  brothers,  Henry  and  Francis  Richards, 
who  came  from  England  as  agents  of  the  rich  Binghams 


SOME  SCIENTIFIC  RESULTS  129 

who  owned  large  tracts  of  timber  land  on  the  St.  Croix, 
were  the  first  men  he  had  ever  seen  to  shoot  snipe  over 
trained  dogs.  He  had  made  a  study  of  guns  and  many 
letters  on  the  subject  passed  between  himself  and  Prof. 
Baird,  the  latter  recommending  the  Maynard  gun  which 
Mr.  Boardman  used  to  great  satisfaction.  He  was  known 
from  Maine  to  Florida  as  the  best  wing  shot  of  his  day. 
Regarding  dogs  he  had  much  correspondence  with  Mr. 
John  Nesbit,  Jr.,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  famous  importers  and  breeders  of  setters  of  his 
time  and  Mr.  Boardman  used  to  say  the  reason  his  own 
dogs  knew  so  much  was  because  they  came  from  the  town 
where  Harvard  University  was  located. 

Throughout  Mr.  Boardman's  long  correspondence  with 
naturalists,  extending  over  many  years  and  embracing 
hundreds  of  letters,  only  a  single  instance  occurs  in 
which  he  expresses  any  desire  for  personal  recognition. 
This  occurs  in  a  letter  to  Prof.  Robert  Ridgway  written 
from  Calais,  December  8,  1884,  in  which  he  presents 
that  naturalist  with  a  skin  of  Falco  columbarius,  from 
Florida.    From  that  letter  the  following  extract  is  made  : 

I  do  not  know  as  I  should  have  written  again  so  soon  only 
you  said  you  would  return  the  skin ;  but  if  it  is  so  unique  a  speci- 
men and  among  your  great  numbers  have  none  like  it,  the  right 
place  for  it  is  the  United  States  Museum,  as  you  might  want  it  for 
purposes  of  comparison.  I  did  not  suppose  you  could  make  a  new 
race  from  one  specimen  and  do  not  remember  as  I  said  anything 
about  race.  But  I  described  this  in  such  a  way  that  if  it  should 
prove  different  when  you  get  other  skins  with  which  to  compare  it 
before  others  may  do  so,  as  to  be  ahead  and  call  it  Boardman's 
Pigeon  Hawk.  I  have  been  sending  lots  of  queer  specimens  to 
Washington  ever  since  Kennicott's  time  and  if  I  have  found  one 
which  you  can  call  for  me  I  shall  be  well  paid. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


PERSONAL.   CHARACTERISTICS 


ONE  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  Mr. 
Boardman's  individuality  was  his  intense  devotion 
to  that  subject  in  which  he  was  engaged.  Whether  it 
were  business,  science  or  recreation,  he  gave  himself 
completely  to  whatsoever  demands  they  made  upon  him 
for  the  time  being.  The  conscientious  devotion  which  he 
rendered  to  his  employers'  interests  when  a  young  man 
characterized  him  throughout  his  entire  business  career. 
An  early  riser  all  his  life,  he  made  a  long  day  in  the 
store,  at  the  mill,  in  the  business  office.  He  expected 
his  employes  to  be  as  faithful  to  his  interests  as  he  had 
been  to  the  interests  of  his  employers  when  a  young 
man  ;  and  many  were  the  lessons  of  industry,  economy 
and  thrift  which  he  gave  to  the  men  working  for  him  in 
different  capacities.  As  his  business  activities  increased 
and  their  duties  became  more  exacting  he  simply  doubled 
his  diligence  and  discharged  most  joyfully  the  added 
responsibilities. 

His  habits  of  business  were  most  exact  and  methodical 
and  he  performed  every  duty  the  moment  it  was  required. 
He  never  put   off   till  tomorrow  what  could   be   done 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  131 

today.  Grasping  a  business  proposition  or  meeting  a 
business  contingency  lie  surveyed  it  rapidly,  judging 
and  acting  promptly  and  almost  invariably  his  decision 
was  right.  He  rarely  made  mistakes  in  judgment  or 
errors  in  acting.  It  is  but  one  illustration  of  this  to  say 
that  only  ten  days  before  his  death  he  had  balanced  his 
books  and  brought  fonvard  an  inventory  of  his  estate  — 
up  to  January  1,  1901  —  everything  being  clearly  stated 
and  so  complete  that  no  mistake  could  possibly  arise. 
Had  this  not  been  the  case  at  each  recurring  year  pre- 
viously, it  might  almost  have  seemed  as  though  he  was 
expecting  death. 

In  1853,  Mr.  Boardman  commenced  a  private  diary, 
keeping  the  same  in  the  small  pocket  form  so  well  known, 
the  little  books  being  uniformly  two  and  one-half  by  four 
inches  in  size  and  being  printed  and  ruled  to  from  six  to 
ten  lines  under  each  day's  date.  The  first  entry  was 
made  Monday,  January  14  and  the  record  was  continued 
for  a  period  of  forty-eight  years.  It  is  indeed  remarkable 
that  in  this  long  time  but  two  breaks  occur  in  the  daily 
record.  The  first  was  for  a  single  day,  March  1,  1884, 
when  he  was  in  Florida;  the  other  from  March  8  to 
March  23,  inclusive,  following  the  death  of  his  wife  and 
during  his  own  severe  illness.  The  records  are  neces- 
sarily brief,  being  made  in  Mr.  Boardman's  neat  and 
uniform  handwriting  and  generally  with  a  pencil.  They 
embrace  items  of  personal  expenses,  state  of  the  weather, 
where  he  was  on  each  day,  letters  written,  birds  seen  and 
shot,  his  occupations  for  the  day,  engagements,  where 
he  attended  church  and  who  preached,  with  other  similar 
memoranda.    More  than  anything  else  this  diary  attests 


132    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

his  methodical  habits  while  its  practice  no  doubt  con- 
tributed to  such  habits,  to  his  promptness  and  to  his  love 
of  order. 

Mr.  Boardman  was  a  man  of  domestic  tastes  and  social 
temperament.  The  centre  of  his  life  was  his  home  and 
he  ever  believed  in  its  abiding  influence  for  good.  He 
always  remained  young  and  among  his  friends  was  at 
seventy  what  he  was  at  forty — simple,  alert,  frank, 
bright,  full  of  wit  and  story,  quick  at  repartee,  or  serious 
in  conversation  if  the  occasion  demanded  it.  His  force 
and  purity  of  character,  his  genial  disposition  and  his 
winning  smile  always  created  an  atmosphere  in  what- 
soever company  he  entered.  His  presence  never  sup- 
pressed fun  or  light  talk,  while  the  gayest  welcomed  his 
coming  and  to  the  young  he  was  a  companion,  while  his 
tone  was  always  pure,  elevated  and  refined.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  sensitive  to  the  feelings  of  others  and  to  the 
conditions  about  him.  To  his  wife  he  always  turned 
with  perfect  confidence  for  sympathy  and  support.  Speak- 
ing of  his  mother  and  of  his  recollections  of  home  one  of 
Mr.  Boardman' s  sons  writes  : 

My  mother  —  the  inseparable  companion  of  my  father  for  more 
than  fifty  years  —  was  one  of  those  sterling  New  England  women 
of  advanced  ideas  for  her  time,  a  model  housewife,  interested  with 
father  in  the  advancement  of  the  educational  facilities  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  perhaps  no  other  person  was  more  instrumental  in  the 
founding  and  maintenance  of  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  St. 
Stephen,  in  which  lovely  spot  both  she  and  father  have  a 
sepulchre.  She  was  very  fond  of  flowers  and  had  for  many  years 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  rose  gardens  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
Unlike  father  she  had  none  of  the  Celt  in  her  composition,  but 
always  regarded  life  as  a  serious  proposition.  She  lived  at  a  time 
when  large  families  were  the  rule  instead  of  the  exception.  There 
were  eleven  of  us  children,  ten  boys  and  one  girl,  six  of  whom 


MRS.  GEORGE  A.  BOARDMAN 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  133 

died  in  infancy.  Our  next  door  neighbor,  Mr.  Ed.  Smith,  had 
twelve  children  and  on  the  other  side  the  family  of  Mr.  James 
Murchie,  fourteen  children,  all  of  the  latter  save  one,  I  believe, 
living  to-day,  and  no  finer  family  was  ever  raised  in  any  commu- 
nity. Until  the  time  of  Mr.  Murchie's  death  he  was  one  of  father's 
warmest  and  most  intimate  friends.  Speaking  of  large  families, 
1  attended  my  grandmother  Boardman's  golden  wedding  about  my 
sophomore  year  in  college,  at  which  if  my  recollection  serves  me, 
there  were  seventy-two  members  of  the  family  present,  children, 
grand  children  and  great  grand  children,  none  of  whom  had  ever 
been  accused  of  any  wrong  doing.  And  as  I  remember  business 
men  on  the  St.  Croix  river,  "  captains  of  industry"  as  they  are  now 
termed,  I  believe  there  were  more  men  living  on  the  St.  Croix  at 
that  time  who  were  fitted  to  be  President  of  the  United  States  and 
more  women  who  were  endowed  with  gifts  entitling  them  to 
reign,  than  in  any  community  in  which  I  have  since  lived. 

Mr.  Boardman  was  one  of  the  few  men  who  possessed 
the  happy  faculty  of  always  remembering  every  one  whom 
he  ever  met  and  being  able  to  call  them  by  name.  When 
travelling  he  was  always  on  the  lookout  for  old  acquaint- 
ances and  enjoyed  shaking  hands  and  having  a  few 
words  with  them,  generally  ending  with  a  hearty  laugh. 
It  made  no  difference  whether  it  was  a  millionaire  or  one 
of  his  former  workmen,  a  negro  or  a  Chinaman  —  he 
treated  them  all  as  gentlemen  and  they  all  seemed 
equally  pleased  to  see  him. 

His  excellent  business  judgment  and  always  correct 
decision  regarding  investments  were  prominent  traits  in 
Mr.  Boardman' s  character.  This  was  shown  all  through 
his  life  but  especially  at  the  time  the  business  revival 
came  to  Milltown,  N.  B.,  when  the  present  cotton  mill 
company  located  in  that  place.  Beside  his  own  home 
he  owned  four  other  pieces  of  property  and  a  saw  mill, 
including   the  water  power  and   one-fourth  interest  in 


134     THE  NATURAUST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  water  power  where  the  cotton  mill  is  located.  He  gave 
his  interest  in  that  to  the  cotton  mill  company  to  induce 
them  to  locate  there ;  then  sold  them  the  land  surround- 
ing their  mill,  his  homestead  and  the  saw  mill  (as  they 
wanted  the  power  to  pump  water),  a  tract  of  land  for 
homes  for  the  employes  and  the  balance  he  sold  to  other 
parties.  It  was  the  only  time  in  the  history  of  the  town 
when  there  was  any  demand  for  property  and  he  was  the 
only  one  that  showed  the  good  judgment  to  sell.  Another 
instance  of  his  good  business  judgment  was  shown  in  his 
never  making  investments  in  Florida,  although  he  had 
spent  many  winters  there  when  northern  men  were 
investing  largely  in  business  enterprises  that  promised 
large  returns ;  and  when  one  of  his  sons  also  resided 
there,  was  himself  largely  interested  in  railroads,  orange 
groves  and  hotels.  None  of  them,  however,  could  ever 
induce  Mr.  Boardman  to  invest  in  their  enterprises  to 
the  extent  of  even  one  cent. 

His  love  of  home  was  a  very  strong  trait  of  his  char- 
acter. His  affection  for  the  place  in  which  he  lived,  had 
passed  his  active  years  and  had  made  his  money,  was  of 
a  kind  with  his  love  of  the  domestic  fireside  and  of  his 
own  family. 

To  all  the  interests  of  the  city  where  he  lived  he  was 
devoted  —  the  church,  the  schools,  the  streets,  the  town 
improvements.  Connected  with  many  large  corporations, 
with  banks,  steamboats,  railroads,  shipping  and  mills, 
he  realized  their  worth  to  the  community  and  was  always 
active  and  constant  in  the  public  duties  they  imposed. 
But  when  these  had  been  attended  to  he  entered  into 
the  social  and  home  pleasures  with  all  the  vigor  of 
youth.    After  having  spent  two  or  three  winters  with  his 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  135 

children  at  the  west,  when  it  was  not  known  but  he 
might  make  that  his  future  home,  he  returned  to  Calais 
with  all  the  gladness  of  a  boy  returning  after  long 
absence  to  his  childhood's  home. 

When  asked  by  his  sister  if  he  was  not  to  live  in 
Minnesota  thereafter,  he  replied:  "Emily,  I'd  rather 
live  in  Calais  and  go  up  to  the  cemetery  and  read  the 
names  of  my  dead  friends  on  their  gravestones  than  to 
live  in  Minnesota  for  all  there  is  out  there."  Not  long 
before  his  decease  a  consensus  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
Calais  and  St.  Stephen  had  been  obtained  as  to  whom 
they  regarded  the  most  successful  man  who  had  ever  done 
business  on  the  St.  Croix  and  the  unanimous  opinion 
was  that  it  was  George  A.  Boardman.  He  had  been 
happy  in  his  domestic  relations ;  had  been  successful  in 
business  ;  had  retired  with  a  competency  at  a  compara- 
tively early  period  ;  had  devoted  his  life,  most  rationally, 
to  the  pursuit  of  science ;  had  won  the  friendship  and 
confidence  of  the  leading  naturalists  of  the  country  and 
had  secured  the  love  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  to 
the  extent  that  he  was  easily  the  first  citizen  of  the  two 
cities  in  which  he  had  spent  his  entire  life.  Measured 
by  the  standard  not  alone  of  dollars  or  political  promi- 
nence, but  of  personal  enjoyment,  the  fame  that  comes 
of  worthy  service  and  the  happiness  following  a  well- 
spent  life,  Mr.  Boardman  had  lived  the  simple,  successful 
life  and  had  won  the  palm  of  deserved  honor  at  the  hands 
of  his  peers. 

Because  of  his  Massachusetts  ancestry  he  possessed  a 
large  share  of  the  Puritan  conscience.  If  it  ruled  him 
to  strict  life  and  the  performance  of  rigid  duty  it  was, 
happily,   a  duty  to  which  he  willingly  yielded,  day  by 


136    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

day,  throughout  his  long  life.  He  was  always  a  con- 
stant, prompt  and  loving  attendant  at  the  Congregational 
church  in  Milltown  and  in  Calais.  When  absent  from 
home  he  always  attended  church  and  no  entries  in  his 
diary  are  more  regular  than  those  which  record  his 
attendance  at  church  in  Philadelphia,  Boston,  New  York 
and  Washington  where  he  always  went  to  hear  the  most 
eminent  preachers  of  the  time.  At  home,  when  enter- 
taining friends,  he  invariably  went  to  church  on  Sunday, 
even  if  his  guests  did  not ;  and  when  Prof.  Baird  and  his 
family  were  his  guests  he  records  going  to  meeting  while 
Prof.  Baird  "kept  house."  Returning  from  the  south 
in  1865,  he  reached  Portland  on  Fast  Day,  April  20, 
where  he  remained  for  the  day  and  attended  the  union 
service  at  one  of  the  churches.  But  he  was  liberal  and 
tolerant.  An  anecdote  is  related  by  one  of  his  sons  :  — 
"While  we  lived  in  Milltown,  in  a  house  near  the 
Catholic  church,  I  noticed  twice  every  year  the  priest 
came  to  the  house  to  see  father.  In  those  days  the 
Protestant  churches  imparted  the  impression  that  being 
a  Roman  Catholic  was  next  to  being  entirely  lost,  so  I 
inquired  of  him  what  the  priest  came  for.  After  deliber- 
ating a  few  minutes  he  said,  'Albert,  you  know  that 
within  a  year  or  two  the  Catholic  parish  here  has  con- 
structed a  new  church,  school  house  and  residence  for 
the  priest.  I  sold  them  the  lumber  for  this  operation 
and,  being  a  little  short  of  money,  they  came  to  me  for  a 
loan.  The  priest  comes  twice  a  year  to  pay  the  interest 
and  always  comes  promptly  on  the  day  it  is  due.'  " 

An  extract  from  a  letter  to  Prof.  Baird  written  at 
Boston,  May  23,  1869,  shows  the  regard  which  he  had 
for  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  :   ' '  Saw  Doctor  Brewer 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  137 

yesterday.  Think  I  will  go  down  and  make  him  a  call 
this  afternoon.  It  being  Sunday  he  might  be  at  wTork 
with  his  eggs,  stamps,  etc.,  and  I  can  keep  his  mind 
away  from  such  things  Sunday." 

While  compelled  to  go  out  to  service  at  the  early  age 
of  thirteen  years  and  being  deprived  of  the  advantages 
of  an  education  in  early  life,  he  was  determined  that  his 
sons  should  have  a  college  education.  Three  were  grad- 
uated from  Bowdoin  in  the  years  1866,  1869  and  1873, 
respectively,  and  the  fourth,  who  preferred  to  go  west, 
attended  the  University  of  Minnesota.  "  I  do  not  think, 
however,"  says  one  of  those  who  went  to  Bowdoin,  "that 
all  of  his  sons  combined,  with  the  advantages  he  gave 
them,  ever  acquired  an  education  comparable  with  that 
which  he  himself  assimilated  through  his  most  extensive 
reading  and  association  with  scientific  and  literary  men." 
He  continues :  ' '  Personally,  about  the  only  things  of  any 
service  in  life  which  I  ever  learned  came  from  my  asso- 
ciation with  my  father  during  our  only  too  brief  com- 
munion. The  love  of  nature,  which  came  to  all  of  us 
boys  from  our  father  and  mother,  has  been  my  chief 
treasure.  From  them  we  learned  to  love  the  secrets  of 
the  woods,  the  notes  of  the  birds,  the  hiding  places  of 
the  arbutus,  the  murmur  of  the  pines,  the  pool  beneath 
the  alder  shade  where  the  trout  lie  hidden  and  to  love 
our  dumb  companions.  Their  love  of  the  beautiful  was 
in  contrast  with  many  homes  I  can  remember." 

Mr.  Boardman's  personal  acquaintance  with  the  lead- 
ing naturalists  of  the  country  was  very  extensive.  In 
Boston,  New  York,  Washington,  Philadelphia  and 
throughout  the  south  he  knew  all  the  ornithologists  of 
note,  although  he  did  not  correspond  with  them  as  often 


138    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

as  he  did  with  his  more  intimate  friends.  His  brother 
Gorham,  who  resides  in  Brooklyn,  writing  in  1902,  says  : 
"I  was,  several  summers  ago,  when  at  Nantucket, 
introduced  to  a  gentleman  who  said,  '  Mr.  Boardman, 
what,  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman  of  Calais,  the  ornitholo- 
gist ?  '  I  replied  'no,  but  I  am  his  brother.'  'Well,' 
he  said,  '  he  is  known  by  every  lover  of  birds  from  Maine 
to  Florida.'  "  In  whatever  place  he  was,  from  Maine  to 
Florida  or  from  Washington  to  the  west  and  to  Cali- 
fornia, there  were  those  whom  he  knew.  And  he  prized 
their  friendship.  It  was  his  first  duty  at  every  place 
where  he  stopped  on  his  many  journeys  from  one  state 
to  another  "to  go  all  around  and  see  the  folks ' '  or  call 
upon  his  scientific  friends.  He  loved  to  do  this  and  it 
was  a  duty  as  well  as  a  pleasure  that  was  never  neglected. 
The  same  was  true  when  Mr.  Boardman  returned  to  his 
home  in  Calais  from  winters  spent  in  Florida  or  at  the 
west. 

His  good  nature  never  forsook  him.  He  was  always 
cheerful  and  sunny.  The  apt  story,  the  winning  smile  or 
the  hearty  laugh  were  evidences  of  his  happy  disposition. 
He  was  thoroughly  unselfish.  Nothing  is  more  common 
in  letters  to  his  scientific  friends,  when  describing  any- 
thing new,  rare  or  curious  that  he  had  obtained,  than  for 
him  to  say  :  "  This  specimen  I  will  send  to  the  National 
Museum  that  it  may  be  available  for  comparison ;  it  is 
too  important  to  be  kept  in  a  private  collection."  When 
in  Washington  he  was  most  attentive  and  helpful  to  per- 
sons in  Maine  who  were  interested  in  visiting  the  depart- 
ments or  the  museums.  Many  have  been  his  acquaint- 
ances who  tell  of  the  pleasure  they  had  in  being  conducted 
through  the  exclusive  formalities  of  Washington  life  by 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  139 

Mr.  Boardman,  who,  from  his  familiarity  with  the  depart- 
ments and  acquaintance  with  their  chiefs,  had  the  advan- 
tage of  the  inside  knowledge  of  thinsg  which  he  shared 
with  his  friends. 

Prof.  Iyeslie  A.  L,ee  of  Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick, 
who  was  chief  of  the  Albatross  scientific  corps  in  its 
dredging  work  under  the  United  States  Fish  Commis- 
sion in  1885  and  1886,  tells  how,  in  the  evenings  after 
work  was  over  as  they  were  seated  upon  the  veranda  at 
the  headquarters  building  at  Woods  Holl,  Prof.  Baird 
for  hour  after  hour,  would  talk  about  Mr.  Boardman,  of 
his  rare  attainments,  his  accurate  knowledge,  his  keen 
observation  and  tell  story  after  story  of  their  experiences 
together  in  the  Maine  woods  or  in  their  studies  at  the 
Smithsonian  at  Washington. 

Mr.  Boardman  was  very  fond  of  reading.  In  fact,  as 
his  daughter  Mrs.  Taylor  says,  he  "read  everything" 
excepting  novels  and  was  very  fond  of  the  poetry  of 
Browning.  He  took  regularly  seventeen  magazines, 
journals  and  newspapers  and  read  them  all.  In  a  letter 
to  Prof.  Baird  written  at  Milltown,  N.  B.,  November  30, 
1879,  he  says:  "I  am  hard  up  for  reading  matter. 
Have  not  seen  a  Smithsonian  report  for  a  long  time  ; 
should  be  glad  of  most  anything."  Again,  writing  to 
him  from  Minneapolis,  March  6,  1883,  he  says:  "Can- 
not you  send  me  something  to  read.  Have  not  seen  a 
Smithsonian  report  for  a  couple  of  years,  nor  any  of  your 
bulletins.  There  are  very  few  naturalist  folks  here,  all 
are  on  a  rush  for  business.  I  have  found  Chicago  the 
same,  no  collectors  of  anything."  He  had  a  splendid 
memory,  remembering  everything  he  read  and  the  names 
of  all  persons  whom  he  ever  met.     He  was  very  regular 


140    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

in  his  habits,  generally  retiring  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  He  always  looked  on  the  bright  side  of  things 
and  remained  a  boy  all  his  life.  This  cheerfulness  and 
good  nature,  the  optimistic  view  he  always  took  of 
human  affairs,  was  founded  upon  his  belief  in  the  Divine 
goodness  and  in  the  benevolent  order  of  all  things  as 
directed  by  the  Great  Creator.  A  single  passage  from  a 
letter  written  to  Prof.  Baird  at  his  brother's  office  in 
New  York,  when  Mr.  Boardman  was  on  his  way  south, 
is  of  deep  interest  in  this  connection.  It  is  dated  Janu- 
ary 12,  1869.  "I  was  much  surprised,"  he  writes,  "to 
hear  of  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Cassin.  Mr.  Lawrence 
told  me  this  morning.  I  hardly  know  what  Philadelphia 
and  all  the  naturalist  people  are  to  do  without  him. 
How  many  of  our  naturalist  friends  are  being  taken 
away.  But  it  is  just  as  natural  to  die,  as  to  be  born  and 
all  we  can  do  is  to  be  ready  when  we  are  called."  No 
one  who  knew  his  life  could  ever  have  had  a  doubt  but 
he  was  ready,  always,  for  the  final  summons. 

How  did  this  plain,  unschooled  man  become  the  friend 
of  the  great  scientists  of  the  country  ?  What  elements 
of  character  did  he  possess  which  made  him  their  close 
and  trusted  companion  and  co-laborer  in  the  paths  of 
science  ?  It  was  because  he  possessed  a  union  of  the 
characteristics  which  have  just  been  outlined.  He  was 
a  true  lover  and  devout  worshiper  of  nature.  He  was 
endowed  with  an  extraordinary  natural  gift  for  the 
acquisition  of  scientific  knowledge  ;  few  men  living  and 
few  men  who  ever  lived  had  the  gift  of  knowing  birds 
and  bird  ways  in  so  generous  a  measure  as  did  Mr. 
Boardman.  His  moral  qualities  were  of  the  highest 
order  and  his  frank,  genial  personality  won  friends  to 


PERSONAL  CHARACTERISTICS  141 

him  which  his  noble  character,  friendliness  and  unselfish- 
ness made  sure  and  constant.  His  friends  were  friends 
for  life.  He  never  lost  enthusiasm  for  his  studies  in 
ornithology  and  was  always  making  some  real  and  true 
additions  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge  in  this  inter- 
esting science.  His  words  were  those  of  truth  and  his  life 
was  simple,  noble,  honest. 

Among  the  articles  which  Mr.  Boardman  contributed 
to  the  Calais  Times  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life 
was  a  biographical  sketch  of  his  friend,  the  late  James 
Murchie  of  St.  Stephen.  The  closing  paragraph  of  that 
fine  article  applies  with  great  aptness  to  Mr.  Boardman's 
own  life :  "There  was  manifested  in  him  none  of  the 
decrepitude  or  petulance  of  old  age.  When  last  I  saw 
him,  his  face  was  sunshiny,  for  his  86  years  had  always 
been  maturing  goodness.  The  length  of  his  life  is 
neither  magical  nor  mysterious,  when  we  consider  cer- 
tain habits  and  dispositions  which  he  possessed.  He 
lived  simply  and  loved  simplicity  ;  he  was  unostentatious, 
industrious,  frugal  and  democratic.  Temperate  in  all 
things,  he  was  a  later  day  Puritan,  an  improvement  on 
the  old  Puritan  in  that  it  adds  cheer  to  a  loyal  devotion 
to  the  right.  His  great  age  was  beautiful  simply  because 
his  youth  had  been  so ;  his  October  was  the  natural 
result  of  his  May.  His  latter  days  had  a  magnificent 
maturity  because  in  his  younger  days  he  had  always 
sought  that  which  was  good.  He  was  like  one  of  those 
glorious  maples  that  we  see  in  October,  that  nature 
crowns  as  the  resplendent  monarch  of  the  surrounding 
forest." 


CHAPTER  IX 


APPRECIATIONS    AND   HONORS 


AT  Mr.  Boardman's  death  the  local,  general  and 
scientific  press  united  in  graceful  tributes  of  respect 
and  eulogy.  A  selection  from  those  published  with  some 
extracts  from  private  letters  addressed  to  members  of  his 
family  are  given.  An  extract  is  also  made  from  an  article 
contributed  to  Forest  and  Stream  of  August  5,  1899, 
by  his  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Hallock.  In  order  to  avoid 
unnecessary  duplication  biographical  and  business  details 
have  generally  been  omitted  from  the  following  appre- 
ciations : 

Charles  Hallock,  in  Forest  and  Streayn,  August  5,  1899 

The  honored  subject  of  this  sketch  seems  to  be  one  of  those 
elect  whose  lives  have  been  graciously  prolonged  because  of  their 
usefulness  to  men.  Recognized  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  as 
a  keen,  discriminating  naturalist,  and  possessing  the  most  com- 
plete private  museum  of  natural  history  extant,  he  is  now  in  his 
eighty-second  year,  as  painstaking  as  ever  in  his  investigations, 
devoting  himself  with  energy  almost  unimpaired  by  time  to  his 
favorite  pursuit  and  study.  Statedly,  every  week  he  contributes 
to  the  Calais  Times  an  article  on  such  natural  history  subjects  as 
engage  the  interest  of  household  readers  and  inform  them  of  the 
peculiar  places  which  our  familiar  creatures  of  the  fields  and 


APPRECIATIONS  AND  HONORS  143 

swanips  and  woods  occupy  in  the  animal  kingdom.  In  this  man- 
ner he  does  much  to  remove  prejudices  against  insects,  birds  and 
reptiles  deemed  noxious,  and  this  helps  to  preserve  the  biological 
balance  among  associated  fauna. 

Now  it  happens  that  students  and  scientists  who  have  become 
eminent  in  their  profession  are  usually  so  segregated  and  intent 
on  their  transcendental  pursuits  that  they  often  fail  to  become 
conspicuous  among  the  world's  honor  men ;  and  hundreds  of  such 
are  enrolled  on  the  unpublished  book  of  the  immortals  whom  the 
general  public  has  never  heard  of,  simply  because  they  occupy  a 
superlatively  higher  plane.  These  have  no  time  to  exploit  their 
achievements.  Such  a  man,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  is  George  A. 
Boardman  of  Calais,  Maine,  an  ornithologist  of  highest  repute 
among  scientists,  a  contemporary  and  whilom  associate  and  co- 
worker with  Audubon,  Agassiz,  Downs,  Todd,  Baird  and  Bethune, 
those  studious  observers  of  natural  objects  whose  renown  lingers 
after  their  departure  like  the  afterglow  of  a  midsummer  sunset. 
Scores  of  his  rarest  specimens  have  gone  into  the  Government 
collections  at  Washington,  not  without  a  transient  pang,  yet  with 
heroic  recognition  begotten  of  a  keen  sense  of  Uncle  Sam's 
priority  and  inherent  right  of  possession.  For  example,  he  had 
in  his  museum  at  Calais  (which  is  installed  in  a  spacious  two- story 
building  devoted  exclusively  to  the  purpose)  an  incomparable  lot 
of  Indian  stone  implements  of  most  every  kind,  including  some 
fine  spear  heads  found  at  the  Grand  Lake  Stream  while  digging 
for  the  first  dam  in  1860,  not  far  from  Dr.  Bethune's  old  camp. 
Prof.  Baird,  he  remarks,  ingenuously  enough,  "thought  the  Gov- 
ernment Museum  had  the  best  right  to  them  and  took  them  away." 

"  When  Prof.  Baird  used  to  visit  me,"  he  writes,  "  we  used  to 
go  among  the  elderly  people  and  pick  up  lots  of  trumpery  such  as 
spinning  wheels,  flax  wheels,  old  canoes  and  Indian  things.  I  had 
a  queer  old  wooden  anchor  which  was  dragged  up  in  the  lake, 
such  as  Indians  used  to  hold  their  canoes  while  fishing.  Baird 
thought  this  a  good  find.  There  was  a  shell  heap  about  twelve 
miles  below  here  that  we  used  frequently  to  visit  and  dig  over. 
He  was  a  very  happy  man  when  on  the  hunt  for  relics.  Even 
after  he  was  taken  sick  he  used  to  write  me  that  he  wanted  to 
come  up  and  finish  that  shell  heap." 


144    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

The  chief  feature  of  Mr.  Boardmarfs  zoological  collection  is  a 
complete  presentation  of  the  local  fauna  of  Maine,  including  278 
species  or  varieties  of  birds  found  in  the  eastern  section.  The 
museum  in  its  entirety  comprises  some  2,500  specimens,  mounted 
and  in  skins,  with  the  young  and  eggs  of  the  most  of  them ;  also 
a  good  collection  of  horns  —  thirty-five  different  kinds.  Among 
his  rarer  miscellaneous  specimens  are  the  skins  of  a  black  wolf 
and  of  a  bay  lynx  (Lynx  rufus),  both  obtained  in  Florida,  where 
he  passed  no  less  than  twenty  winters. 

Mr.  Boardman  has  been  prominent  all  his  life  in  important 
business  interests,  and  now  is  in  banks,  in  steamboats,  vessels, 
lumber  and  mills.  In  1870  he  retired  with  a  competency,  but  his 
time  is  quite  fully  occupied  in  a  variety  of  ways,  the  public  for 
the  most  part  being  beneficiary. 

J.  A.  Allen,  in  The  Auk  for  April,  1901,  Vol.   XVIII. , 
Pages  219-220 

Mr.  George  A.  Boardman,  an  Associate  Member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Ornithologists1  Union,  died  at  his  home  at  Calais,  Maine,  Jan. 
11,  1901,  at  the  age  of  83  years.  He  was  born  in  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  Feb.  5,  1818,  and  went  with  his  parents  to  Calais  in  1828. 
His  ancestors  came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  settled  in 
Newbury,  Mass.,  in  1637.  Mr.  Boardman,  for  over  thirty  years 
was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  on  the  St.  Croix  river,  retir- 
ing from  active  business  in  1871.  He  was  well  known  as  an 
enthusiastic  naturalist  and  sportsman  and  was  a  warm  friend  of 
the  late  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer  and  Professor  Baird  and  of  many  later 
and  less  prominent  naturalists.  It  was  his  habit  for  many  years 
to  spend  his  winters  in  Florida,  stopping  at  Washington,  New 
York,  and  other  points  on  the  journey  to  and  from  Maine  to  his 
winter  home,  to  renew  acquaintance  with  his  many  naturalist  and 
other  friends. 

The  present  writer  first  made  his  acquaintance  at  Jackson- 
ville, Florida,  in  December,  1868,  and  later  the  same  winter  passed 
a  few  days  with  him  at  Enterprise  on  Lake  George.  He  had 
already  become  familiar  with  the  bird  life  of  Florida,  where  for 
many  years  it  was  his  habit  to  collect  specimens  and  take  field 
notes,  giving  liberally  of  his  specimens  to  Professor  Baird  of  the 


APPRECIATIONS  AND  HONORS  145 

Smithsonian  Institute,  and  sharing  his  field  notes  with  other 
workers.  As  early  as  1862  he  published  a  Catalogue  of  the  Birds 
Found  in  the  Vicinity  of  Calais,  Maine  and  about  the  Islands  at 
the  Mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  (Proe.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist., 
IX.,  pp.  122-132),  an  annotated  list  of  231  species.  His  collection 
of  Maine  birds  is  notably  complete,  numbering,  it  is  said,  278 
species  (cf.  Forest  and  Stream,  August  5,  1899)  and  comprising 
some  2,500  specimens,  mounted  and  in  skins,  besides  a  large  collec- 
tion of  eggs.  He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  Forest  and  Stream 
and  other  natural  history  journals,  including  the  American  Natu- 
ralist and  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club,  and  up 
to  the  last  days  of  his  life  is  said  to  have  contributed,  "statedly, 
every  week,"  to  the  Calais  Times,  "an  article  on  such  natural 
history  subjects  as  engage  the  interest  of  the  household  readers 
and  inform  them  of  the  peculiar  places  which  familiar  creatures 
of  the  fields  and  swamps  and  woods  occupy  in  the  animal  king- 
dom." 

Mr.  Boardman  was  a  man  of  genial  and  attractive  personality, 
and  after  his  retirement  from  business,  some  thirty  years  ago, 
devoted  much  of  his  leisure  to  travel  and  natural  history  pursuits, 
his  interest  in  such  matters  having  a  wide  scope. 

The  Calais  Times,  January  17,  1901 

It  is  with  profound  grief  that  the  Times  records  the  decease 
of  this  eminent  citizen.  Mr.  Boardman  passed  peacefully  into 
pleasant  dreams,  at  his  home  on  Lafayette  Street,  last  Friday 
morning.  In  our  sense  of  personal  sorrow  which  the  event 
brings,  all  readers  will  share.  His  weekly  articles  contributed  to 
this  paper  during  the  past  five  years,  on  scientific,  ethical,  educa- 
tional and  political  subjects  would  fill  a  volume.  His  last  article 
was  published  in  the  issue  of  December  20,  on  the  subject  of  Wars 
of  the  Century.  He  was  also  a  contributor  to  other  papers  and 
magazines,  especially  the  Forest  and  Stream,  for  many  years  and 
until  two  weeks  before  his  death,  and  the  constant  demand  for 
his  writings  attested  their  merit  and  the  interest  they  aroused. 

It  will  require  more  than  a  single  article  to  portray  Mr. 
Boardman's  life,  work,  and  qualities,  all  of  which  were  of  a  kind 
to  induce  respect,  confidence  and  friendship.    His  life  was  in  the 


146    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

daylight,  and  he  was  esteemed  of  all  acquaintances.  At  an  out- 
ing of  prominent  citizens,  three  years  ago,  it  was  decided  by  a 
unanimous  vote  that  George  A.  Boardman,  of  all  men  who  had 
resided  in  the  St.  Croix  valley,  had  best  enjoyed  the  blessings  and 
fruition  of  human  life.  Successful  in  business,  fortunate  in  family 
relations,  contented  in  his  studies,  broad  and  keen  in  intellect, 
varied  in  accomplishments,  stainless  in  character,  observant  of 
affairs,  with  ample  wealth,  he  was  passing  his  declining  years 
with  a  happiness  that  befitted  a  naturalist,  Christian  and  noble- 
man. He  was  the  last  of  the  aggregation  of  great  business  men 
of  the  last  generation  who  won  fortune  from  the  lumbering  indus- 
try here. 

He  conducted  the  largest  lumber  business  on  the  St.  Croix 
river  until  1871,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  to  enjoy  the 
fruit  of  his  labor  in  travel  and  in  pursuit  of  his  favorite  study. 
He  had  been  a  noted  naturalist  and  an  authority  on  ornithology 
for  nearly  fifty  years.  His  private  museum  comprised  the  finest 
collection  of  mounted  birds  in  New  England,  if  not  on  the  conti- 
nent. 

He  had  studied  the  fauna  of  Maine  as  no  other  field  naturalist 
has  ever  done,  and  passed  twenty  winters  in  Florida  and  other 
southern  lands  in  pursuit  of  his  favorite  studies.  He  was  a  life 
member  of  the  Natural  History  Societies  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
London,  England,  a  lifelong  friend  of  Profs.  Baird  and  Coues  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington,  Dr.  Brewer  of 
Boston  and  Charles  Hallock  of  New  York.  Among  his  other 
scientific  and  literary  friends  Avere  Rev.  Dr.  Bethune,  the  eminent 
theologian,  Senator  Geo.  F.  Edmunds,  Walter  Brackett,  the  cele- 
brated painter  of  fishes,  Rev.  James  Smith  of  Philadelphia,  Prof. 
Bailey  of  Fredericton,  N.  B.,  Dr.  Leith  Adams,  Judge  Ritchie  of 
New  Brunswick,  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  scores  of  other  eminent 
personages. 

St.  Croix  Courier,  January  17,  1901 

By  the  death  of  George  A.  Boardman  the  valley  of  the  St. 
Croix  has  lost  one  of  the  most  aged  and  best  known  of  its  resi- 
dents. By  reason  of  his  extended  life  and  the  variety  of  interests 
which  he  touched,  added  to  a  genial  and  social  disposition,  he 


APPRECIATIONS  AND  HONORS  147 

became  known  to  an  unusually  large  number  of  people.  His 
departure  creates  a  vacancy  in  many  circles. 

Having  acquired  an  ample  competence  in  business  Mr.  Board- 
man  exhibited  a  rare  spirit  of  contentment  with  his  acquisitions 
and  in  mid-life  withdrew  from  active  business  that  he  might 
devote  himself  to  other  interests. 

He  had  become  deeply  interested  in  ornithology.  The  first 
impulse  in  this  direction  is  believed  to  have  been  received  when, 
on  a  visit  to  South  America  in  charge  of  a  cargo  of  lumber,  he  was 
struck  with  admiration  by  the  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  there 
seen.  He  began  to  collect  specimens  and  learn  the  art  of  mount- 
ing them.  Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  notable  collec- 
tion which  he  has  left,  embracing  representatives  of  all  the  land 
and  water  birds  found  in  this  section  of  the  country,  together 
with  not  a  few  from  other  localities.  Tn  the  collection  are  to  be 
found  also  the  eggs  of  all  the  species  and  the  nests  of  many. 
These  specimens,  by  the  completeness  and  the  fine  skill  with  which 
they  have  been  prepared  and  mounted,  form  an  ornithological 
cabinet  which  probably  has  no  equal  in  New  England,  at  least  in 
private  ownership. 

The  pursuit  of  this  branch  of  natural  history  brought  Mr. 
Boardman  into  acquaintance  with  men  of  science  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  The  list  of  his  distinguished  friends  would  be  a 
lengthy  one,  friends  who  were  attracted  to  him  not  only  by  a 
common  taste,  but  also  by  his  kindly  disposition  and  warmth  in 
friendship.  He  was  a  member  of  the  natural  history  societies  of 
Boston  and  of  Loudon  and  was  accustomed  to  contribute  papers 
of  value  to  the  publications  of  these  bodies. 

The  Calais  Advertiser,  January  17,  1901 

In  the  death  of  George  A.  Boardman,  who  departed  this  life 
Friday  morning,  Calais  loses  the  last  of  the  old  line  of  lumber 
manufacturers,  who  developed  that  industry  on  the  St.  Croix 
and  turned  the  wilderness  into  a  city  of  homes  for  a  prosperous 
people.  Having  amassed  a  competency,  Mr.  Boardman  retired 
from  active  business  life,  although  retaining  a  lively  interest  in 
several  companies  in  which  he  was  a  shareholder,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  president  of  the  Frontier  Steamboat  Company, 


148    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

having  succeeded  the  late  James  Murchie.  After  his  retirement 
Mr.  Boardman  gave  the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the  study  of 
natural  history,  and  especially  to  the  fauna  of  Maine  and  New 
Brunswick,  and  was  considered  an  authority  in  everything  per- 
taining to  ornithology.  He  possessed  considerable  literary  ability, 
and  was  a  valued  contributor  to  several  periodicals.  Mr.  Board- 
man's  cheerful  countenance  and  genial  manner  will  be  missed  by 
old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  for  he  had  a  kind  word  for  all. 

The  Maine  Sportsman,  February,  1901 

Sportsmen  and  naturalists  everywhere,  acquainted  with  Mr. 
George  A.  Boardman,  of  Calais,  will  keenly  regret  to  learn  of  his 
death  which  took  place  on  the  morning  of  January  11.  In  spite 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  within  two  months  of  being  eighty-three 
years  old,  his  mind  was  clear  and  active  and  he  kept  in  close 
touch  with  the  progress  of  natural  history  study  in  New  England 
and  particularly  in  Maine,  in  which  he  was  greatly  interested. 
Mr.  Boardman  had  a  most  genial  disposition  and,  although  the 
writer  met  him  but  once,  yet  he  carried  away  such  pleasant 
memories  and  anticipations  of  future  meetings,  that  he  feels  as  if 
he,  as  well  as  the  ornithologists  of  New  England,  had  met  with  a 
personal  loss  in  the  passing  over  of  this  kind,  helpful,  earnest 
man. 

Minneapolis  Journal,  January  12,  1901 

George  A.  Boardman,  one  of  the  most  learned  naturalists  in 
the  United  States,  died  yesterday  morning  at  his  old  home  in 
Calais,  Me.,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He  was 
the  father  of  County  Attorney  Fred  H.  Boardman  and  Mr.  W.  B. 
Boardman  of  this  city,  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Boardman,  now  of  Phil- 
adelphia, but  formerly  a  prominent  Minneapolitan.  The  deceased 
had  been  a  successful  business  man  and  was  interested  in  banks, 
lumbering  and  other  industries,  as  well  as  in  shipping.  He  retired 
from  the  active  affairs  with  a  competence  in  1870  to  occupy  him- 
self with  his  favorite  studies  and  public  matters.  His  natural 
history  museum  is  conceded  to  be  the  finest  and  largest  private 
collection  in  America.  In  the  Zoological  collection  alone  there 
are  2,500  specimens  mounted  and  in  skin,  with  the  young  and  eggs 


APPRECIATIONS  AND  HONORS  149 

of  most  of  them.     Not  only  was  ho  a  student  and  naturalist,  but  a 
keen  sportsman  as  well  and  a  famous  and  enthusiastic  angler. 

Boston  Journal,  January  13,  1901 

George  A.  Boardman,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  citizen  of 
Calais,  Me.,  died  at  his  home  Friday  morning,  January  11,  aged 
eighty-three  years.  He  had  been  a  noted  naturalist  and  an  author- 
ity on  ornithology  for  nearly  fifty  years.  His  private  museum 
comprised  the  finest  local  collection  of  mounted  birds  in  New 
England,  if  not  on  the  continent.  It  is  to  be  placed  in  one  of  the 
Government  buildings  at  Fredericton,  N.  B.  and  to  be  known  as 
the  George  A.  Boardman  Collection.  He  contributed  many  inter- 
esting articles  to  Forest  and  Stream  and  other  magazines  and 
papers,  up  to  within  two  weeks  of  his  death.  The  last  issue  of 
Outing  speaks  of  him  (with  others)  as  one  of  the  noted  sportsmen 
of  the  past  century. 

Forest  and  Stream,  January  26,  1901 

The  death  of  Mr.  George  A.  Boardman,  recorded  in  another 
column,  removes  from  the  list  of  Forest  and  Stream's  subscribers, 
contributors  and  readers  one  of  the  very  oldest.  Mr.  Boardman 
was  for  a  large  part  of  his  life  an  active  business  man,  but  like 
many  of  those  who  work  hardest  in  the  world's  business,  he  made 
time  to  pursue  what  was  his  pleasure  as  energetically  as  he  did 
his  business.  For  more  than  fifty  years  he  had  been  a  naturalist, 
and  had  done  work  with  and  aided  some  of  the  most  eminent  of 
the  naturalists  of  this  country.  Audubon,  Agassiz,  Baird,  Downs 
and  others  were  among  the  men  with  whom  Mr.  Boardman  was 
associated,  to  whom  he  freely  gave  of  the  interesting  facts  that  he 
had  collected  and  among  whom  to  some  extent  he  distributed 
the  collections  which  he  had  made. 

Notwithstanding  this  generosity,  he  was  able  to  gather 
together  a  very  large  museum  which,  as  might  be  supposed, 
represented  with  singular  completeness  the  fauna  of  eastern 
Maine.  Mr.  Boardman  was  thus  naturally  one  of  the  first  author- 
ities on  the  fauna  of  the  extreme  Northeastern  United  States,  and 
it  was  to  him  that  application  was  first  made  for  information  on 
that  subject. 


150    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Besides  his  fondness  for  nature,  he  was  a  keen  sportsman, 
and  above  all,  an  enthusiastic  salmon  angler,  and  very  many  of 
the  older  and  better  known  anglers  of  the  Eastern  United  States 
used  to  visit  him  and  fish  with  him. 

Mr.  Boardman  was,  it  is  believed,  the  second  subscriber  on 
the  list  of  Forest  and  Stream  when  it  was  started  in  1873,  and 
from  that  time  to  this  he  had  taken  it  without  a  break. 

Hon.    George  F.    Edmunds,    United  States   Senator  from 

Vermont 

I  can  say  with  sineei-e  gratification  that  so  far  as  my  acquaint- 
ance with  Mr.  Boardman  went,  I  was  strongly  impressed  with 
the  extent  of  his  knowledge,  the  purity  of  his  character  and  his 
very  agreeable  manners. 

Robert  Ridgway,  Curator  Smithsonian  Institution,    Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Although  I  saw  Mr.  Boardman  but  seldom,  I  nevertheless 
remember  well  his  kindly  face,  his  friendly  and  genial  greeting 
and  his  bright  and  interesting  conversation. 

D.  G.  Elliot,  New  York 

Mr.  Boardman  was  a  most  careful  observer  and  his  statements 
of  things  he  had  seen  were  thoroughly  reliable.  Men  like  him  are 
always  rare  and  it  is  a  pity  that  they  are  obliged  to  leave  the  scene 
of  their  labor. 

Prof.  William  H.  Dall,  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

My  knowledge  of  the  late  George  A.  Boardman  was  confined 
to  personal  intercourse  with  him  at  the  Museum  and  at  Prof. 
Baird's  house  on  his  way  to  and  from  Florida  in  the  early  years 
of  my  connection  with  the  Museum.  Like  all  who  made  his 
acquaintance  I  felt  a  sincere  regard  for  him,  his  mild,  kindly 
manner  and  consideration  for  those  younger  and  less  experienced 
being  always  manifest. 


APPRECIATIONS  AND  HONORS  151 

Henry  E.  Dresser,  London,  Eng. 

Mr.  Boardman  lived  to  a  great  age  and  lived  an  active  and 
useful  life  and  one  cannot  be  sorry  for  his  death  but  only  for  those 
who  have  lost  him.  It  is  now  nearly  40  years  since  I  last  saw  him 
at  Calais,  but  it  seems  but  yesterday,  and  I  have  a  most  pleasing 
recollection  of  the  time  I  spent  in  his  company  talking  over  bird 
matters.  He  was  a  most  excellent  field  naturalist  and  a  keen 
observer,  and  to  me  who  then  was  but  a  young  naturalist  he  was 
always  most  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  as  he  was  to  any  young 
fellow  who  was  interested  in  ornithology  or  oology. 

Among  the  honors  conferred  upon  Mr.  Boardman 
were  the  following  :  He  was  chosen  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  April 
16,  1862.  On  April  10,  1863,  he  was  elected  a  cor- 
responding member  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of 
New  Brunswick,  St.  John.  At  the  first  congress  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  held  at  New  York  in 
September,  1883,  he  was  elected  an  associate  member  of 
that  body.  He  was  also  an  honorary  foreign  member  of 
the  Zoological  Society  of  L,ondon,  Eng.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  the  dedication  of  the  new  building  of  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York,  which  was 
opened  by  President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  December  22, 
1877,  Mr.  Boardman  was  invited  as  a  special  guest. 


CHAPTER  X 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  NATURAEISTS 


MR.  BOARDMAN  was  a  voluminous  letter  writer. 
His  list  of  correspondents  embraced  nearly  every 
ornithologist  of  note  in  this  country,  of  the  period  when 
he  was  most  active  in  his  ornithological  collections  and 
studies,  together  with  many  in  New  Brunswick  and 
some  in  England.  He  not  only  spent  a  great  deal  of  time 
when  at  his  summer  home  on  the  St.  Croix  in  cor- 
respondence with  his  naturalist  friends,  but  when  at 
Florida  during  the  winter  he  was  a  constant  and  frequent 
letter-writer.  Not  only  this,  the  letters  which  have  been 
examined  that  were  written  by  Mr.  Boardman  show  that 
when  stopping  in  Boston,  New  York  or  Philadelphia  for 
a  day  or  two  on  his  journeys  to  or  from  the  south,  he 
wrote  many  letters  to  his  correspondents  when  at  his 
hotel.  If  he  called  upon  his  scientific  friends  or  saw  any- 
thing new  at  the  museums  he  was  always  sure  to  write 
half  a  dozen  letters  to  his  correspondents,  telling  them 
whom  he  had  met  and  what  he  had  found  that  was  new. 
This  was  especially  the  case  when  stopping  at  his  brother 
Gorham's  in  New  York.  Even  when  on  his  trips  to  the 
west  and  to  California,  as  well  as  during  his  visits  at 


CORRESPONDENCE  153 

Clifton  Springs  he  was  devoted  to  his  correspondents  and 
many  were  the  letters  he  sent  them,  detailing  the  incidents 
of  his  trips,  telling  them  what  he  had  seen  and  inquiring 
for  their  well-being.  In  one  instance  he  wrote  a  long 
letter  to  Prof.  Baird  while  remaining  in  the  railway  station 
at  Boston,  waiting  for  a  train.  It  was  on  December  18, 
1875  and  was  in  reference  to  obtaining  a  pair  of  moose 
for  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia.  He  loved 
to  remember  his  friends  and  was  most  happy  to  answer 
their  inquiries  or  do  them  a  favor.  Moreover  his  letters 
were  always  familiar  and  interesting.  He  had  the  happy 
gift  of  saying  pleasant  things  and  writing  about  common 
experiences  and  observations  in  a  most  entertaining  way, 
especially  when  writing   to  his  most  intimate  friends. 

Systematic  and  careful  as  he  was  in  all  his  business 
methods,  Mr.  Boardman  retained  the  letters  that  were 
addressed  to  him  and  always  filed  them  in  the  most 
orderly  manner.  Between  three  and  four  hundred  letters 
addressed  to  him  by  his  scientific  correspondents  and 
friends  have  been  examined  in  the  preparation  of  this 
memoir. 

It  has  been  difficult,  however,  except  in  few  instances, 
to  obtain  many  of  Mr.  Boardman's  own  letters.  Those 
to  Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution ; 
to  Dr.  William  Wood  of  East  Windsor  Hill,  Conn.,  to 
Robert  Ridgway  of  the  Smithsonion  Institution,  to  Mr. 
J.  A.  Allen  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, New  York,  and  to  Mr.  Charles  Hallock  of  Jersey 
City,  N.  J.,  have,  however,  most  fortunately,  been 
obtained  and  made  use  of.  A  list  of  the  naturalists  with 
whom  he  was  in  correspondence  and  whose  letters  were 
preserved  by  Mr.  Boardman  other  than  those  just  named, 


154    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

embraces  the  following  well-known  names:  D.  G. 
Elliot,  A.  E.  Verrill,  George  N.  Lawrence,  T.  M. 
Brewer,  William  Brewster,  C.  Hart  Merriam,  Charles  J. 
Maynard,  H.  A.  Ward,  A.  L,.  Heermann,  Elliott  Coues, 
H.  A.  Purdie,  John  Krider,  A.  Leith  Adams,  N.  Clif- 
ford Brown,  Everett  Smith,  Ruthven  Deane,  J.  B.  Holder 
and  1,.  W.  Bailey.  In  addition  to  these  scores  of  letters 
from  lesser  known  naturalists  as  well  as  from  local  orni- 
thologists and  observers  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
are  included  and  have  been  carefully  examined.  With 
many  of  these  last  named  Mr.  Boardman  carried  on  a 
regular  although  occasional  correspondence,  while  scores 
of  other  letters  were  addressed  to  him  by  young  natur- 
alists who  asked  for  instructions  or  by  observers  who 
wrote  making  inquiries  upon  interesting,  but  little  under- 
stood, points  in  bird  life,  and  upon  which  they  knew  Mr. 
Boardman  possessed  information.  The  letters  of  acknowl- 
edgment and  thanks  found  among  his  papers  are  sufficient 
to  show  that  all  such  inquiries  were  promptly  and  thor- 
oughly answered.  His  kindness  and  helpfulness  to  young 
naturalists  were  proverbial  among  all  his  scientific  friends 
—  a  fact  to  which  these  letters  give  abundant  testimony. 

Mr.  Boardman' s  most  constant  correspondent  in  this 
country,  as  well  as  his  dearest  and  most  intimate  friend, 
was  the  late  Prof.  Spencer  F.  Baird,  for  many  years  sec- 
retary of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Spencer  Fullerton  Baird  was  born  in  Reading,  Pa., 
February  23,  1823,  and  graduated  from  Dickinson  Col- 
lege in  that  state  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  In 
1845,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  Mr.  Baird  was  chosen 
professor  of  natural  history  in  Dickinson  College,  and 
five  years  later  when  only  twenty-seven  years  of  age  was 


SPENCER  EULLERTON  BAIRD 

Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington,  D.  C. 

1878—1887 


CORRESPONDENCE  155 

appointed  assistant  secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution. 

An  outline  of  the  scientific  career  of  this  remarkable 
naturalist  would  embrace  the  following  briefly  stated  but 
distinctive  periods  of  scientific  activity  :  A  period  of 
twenty-six  years  devoted  to  laborious  investigation  of 
the  vertebrate  fauna  of  North  America,  1843-1869  ;  forty 
years  of  continuous  contribution  to  scientific  literature 
of  which  at  least  ten  were  devoted  to  scientific  editor- 
ship, 1840-1880;  four  years  devoted  to  educational  work, 
1846-1850  ;  forty-one  years  devoted  to  the  encourage- 
ment and  promotion  of  scientific  enterprises  and  the 
development  of  new  workers  among  the  young  men  with 
whom  he  was  brought  into  contact,  1846-1887  ;  thirty- 
seven  years  devoted  to  administrative  work  as  an  officer 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  in  charge  of  the 
scientific  collections  of  the  government,  1850-1887 ; 
twenty-eight  years  its  principal  executive  officer,  1850- 
1887 ;  nine  years  secretary  and  responsible  head  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  1878-1887;  sixteen  years  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  a  philan- 
thropic labor  for  the  increase  of  the  food  supply  of  the 
world  and  incidentally  for  the  promotion  of  the  interests 
of  biology  and  physical  investigation,  1871-1887. 

Prof.  Baird's  published  works  embrace  his  History 
of  North  American  Birds,  five  volumes,  1874-1884 ;  the 
reports  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  of  the  United 
States  Fish  Commission,  while  a  complete  bibliography 
of  his  works  would  embrace  over  one  thousand  titles,  two 
hundred  of  which  are  to  be  classed  as  formal  and  elaborate 
contributions  to  scientific  literature.  With  the  publica- 
tion of  his  quarto  work  of  over  two  thousand  pages  on 


156    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  Birds  of  North  America,  as  one  of  the  volumes  of 
the  Pacific  Railway  reports  began  what  has  been  most 
appropriately  termed  the  Bairdian  period  of  American 
ornithology  and  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  Baird- 
ian school  of  naturalists  —  a  period  covering  nearly  thirty 
years,  and  one,  says  the  late  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  "  char- 
acterized by  an  activity  in  ornithological  research  and  a 
rapidity  of  advancement  without  a  parallel  in  the  history 
of  science." 

Prof.  Baird  was  a  keen  archaeologist  and  originator 
of  the  National  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  He  designed  the 
government  vessels,  the  Fish  Hawk  and  Albatross,  used 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission  and 
was  instrumental  in  obtaining  from  Congress  the  appro- 
priation for  the  building  of  the  east  wing  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution.  Royal  honors  were  bestowed  upon 
him  by  the  governments  of  Australia,  of  Sweden  and 
Norway  and  of  the  Republic  of  France  ;  while  he  was 
elected  to  membership  in  ten  foreign  scientific  societies  of 
high  renown.  While  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in 
connection  with  the  Fish  Commission,  Prof.  Baird  died  at 
Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  August  19,  1887. 

The  correspondence  between  Prof.  Baird  and  Mr. 
Boardman  began  in  1862.  Among  Mr.  Boardman's 
papers  have  been  preserved  nearly  one  hundred  letters 
from  Prof.  Baird  ;  while  in  the  Baird  collection  in  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  are  one  hundred  and  seventy 
letters  from  Mr.  Boardman  —  all  of  which  have  been 
read  with  great  care.  The  earliest  letter  from  Prof. 
Baird  bears  date  June  18,  1862  and  the  last,  September  9, 
1886.  The  first  from  Mr.  Boardman  bears  date  January 
4,  1865  and  the  last,   September  5,   1886,   covering   a 


CORRESPONDENCE  157 

period  of  twenty-four  years.  Between  June  18,  1862 
and  September  12,  1868,  there  are  eight  letters  addressed 
to  Mr.  Boardman  in  Prof.  Baird's  own  hand ;  after  that 
the  letters  are  in  the  handwriting  of  his  secretary, 
although  signed  by  himself —  except  in  case  of  one  very 
brief  letter  dated  at  Eastport,  Maine,  June  26,  1872,  and 
a  somewhat  lengthy  postscript  to  a  letter  from  Washing- 
ton, November  1,  1869. 

The  first  letter  from  Mr.  Boardman  to  Prof.  Baird 
found  in  the  Smithsonian  collection  is  dated  at  Milltown, 
January  4,  1865,  which  is  in  answer  to  a  letter  for 
information.  But  earlier  letters  than  this  from  Mr. 
Boardman  must  have  been  written,  as  in  his  of  June  18, 
1862,  Prof.  Baird  begins  by  saying:  "Yours  of  June 
13  is  just  to  hand  and  I  hasten  to  answer  it."  He  says 
in  this  letter:  "Any  chicks  of  partridge,  grouse  and 
ducks  will  be  very  acceptable.  Embryos  in  alcohol  will 
also  be  desirable  if  well  identified.  I  have  never  seen 
the  egg  of  solitary  sand  piper  (I  want  to  very  much  !)  but 
think  it  will  be  somewhat  like  that  of  spotted  tattler, 
though  larger."  Writing  from  Carlisle,  Pa.,  July  21, 
1862,  Prof.  Baird  says:  "The  bird  you  send  is  the 
female  of  the  Black  Poll  warbler  ;  possibly  of  the  Bay- 
breasted  ;  but  I  think  not.  The  females  of  the  two  can 
scarcely  be  told  apart.  I  would  like  another  dusky 
duck's  egg  very  much  indeed.  Any  certain  eggs,  how- 
ever common,  are  always  welcome." 

In  all  the  early  letters  to  Mr.  Boardman,  Prof.  Baird 
is  telling  him  what  they  want  at  Washington  and  giving 
suggestions  for  collecting.  November  19, 1862,  he  writes : 
"  If  you  have  the  sets  of  eggs  and  nest  of  the  three  kinds 
of  thrushes,  with  parents,  I  wish  very  much  that  you 


158    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

would  send  them  in  order  that  I  may  satisfy  myself 
positively  in  regard  to  them,  especially  the  spotted  egg 
and  bush  or  tree  nests.  We  want  very  much  a  good 
specimen  of  the  cinerous  owl.  A  series  of  Jaegers,  too, 
would  be  very  acceptable  as  Mr.  Coues  is  now  preparing 
a  monograph  of  this  genus.  A  young  white-wing  gull, 
too,  we  would  like.  Can't  you  send  us  some  of  those 
northern  eggs  you  speak  of  ?  Where  were  they  collected  ?  ' ' 
November  23,  1865:  "  I  would  much  like  a  good  lot 
of  good  skins  of  the  three-toed  woodpeckers  ;  good  cross- 
bills ;  Hudson  Bay  tits ;  Canada  Jays ;  Hawk  and  Richard- 
son's owls  ;  Acadian  owl ;  Pine  Grosbeaks  ;  Pine  finches, 
spruce  and  common  partridges  and  the  like,  for  our 
exchanges.  What  you  gave  me  last  summer  have 
answered  a  capital  purpose."  May  20,  1868:  "I  am 
glad  you  have  the  Pied  duck  and  have  got  us  a  speci- 
men. Don't  forget  that  it  is  the  only  North  American 
duck  not  in  our  collection  and  next  to  Great  Auk,  perhaps 
our  greatest  desideratum  among  water  birds.  I  can't 
ask  you  to  send  this  one,  but  I  speak  for  the  next." 

Writing  from  Beverly,  Mass.,  September  12,  1868,  after 
a  visit  to  Mr.  Boardman  at  Milltown,  Prof.  Baird  says  : 
' '  I  cannot  tell  j^ou  how  I  hated  to  leave  with  all  the 
projected  trips  incompleted.  I  don't  know  when  I  have 
had  so  nice  a  time  and  shall  always  be  grateful  to  you  and 
Mrs.  Boardman,  to  say  nothing  of  Charley  and  Georgie, 
for  your  kind  attentions."  On  this  visit  Prof.  Baird  had 
become  much  interested  in  the  shell  heaps  of  the  St. 
Croix  valley  and  the  many  Indian  relics,  which,  on  sub- 
sequent visits  he  gave  much  time  in  excavating  and 
studying.  In  the  same  letter  occurs  the  following:  "I 
really  must  have  Pollice's  spear  if  I  have  to  get  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  159 

United  States  district  attorney  to  seize  it  as  smuggled 
from  old  Indians  without  paying  duty ;  or  else  as  a 
Fenian  weapon  intended  for  invading  New  Brunswick. 
I  will  ask  Prof.  Henry  to  let  me  send  you  a  lot  of  showy 
shells  and  birds  to  trade  for  this  and  other  purposes.  I 
hope  you  will  find  out  all  the  shell  heap  localities  and 
dig  all  you  can  ;  there  will  be  plenty  left  for  me  to  do 
when  I  come  up  again.  I  intend  to  make  a  specialty  of 
this  subject  and  want  to  work  it  out  thoroughly.  Note 
all  you  can  about  thickness  and  succession  of  beds ; 
interpolation  of  gravel;  position  of  best  remains,"  etc. 

In  a  letter  dated  Washington,  November  22, 1869,  Prof. 
Baird  writes  :  ' '  Ridgway  is  now  hard  at  work  upon  the 
North  American  hawks  and  is  doing  a  good  work.  He 
finds  a  species  like  the  European  Merlin,  but  differing 
both  from  that  and  from  the  Pigeon  Hawk.  I  will  show 
it  to  you  when  you  come.  Write  soon  and  let  me  know 
when  we  may  expect  you.  I  hope  you  will  arrange  so  as 
to  pay  us  a  good  visit  on  your  way  south."  Writing  to 
Mr.  Boardman,  who  was  then  in  Florida,  January  27, 
1871,  Prof.  Baird  says :  "  The  fish  bill  has  passed  the 
House  and  has  a  good  chance  of  going  through  the 
Senate  so  that  you  may  yet  be  called  upon  to  furnish 
official  information  of  what  you  know  about  fishes  and 
you  will  please  be  prepared."  To  this  letter  a  postscript 
is  added  from  Mrs.  Baird  :  "I  send  a  handkerchief  left 
here,  thinking  you  may  want  it.  —  M.  H.  C.  B." 

"I  would  like  very  much,"  Prof.  Baird  writes  from 
Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  July  25,  1871,  "to  'knock  off' 
work  here  and  go  with  you  up  Princeton  way  to  shoot 
young  ducks ;  but  I  rather  think  I  had  better  stick  to 
my  business  the  present  summer,  hoping  that  perhaps  I 


160     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

may  have  the  pleasure  of  the  excursion  next  year."  In 
a  letter  dated  November  23,  1871,  he  writes:  "I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  potatoes  and  shall  value 
them  both  for  their  own  merits  and  for  the  kindness 
which  prompted  you  to  forward  them.  I  only  hope  that 
you  and  Mrs.  Boardman  will  help  us  eat  some  of  them 
in  Washington . ' '  This  was  after  Mr.  Boardman  had  sent 
Prof.  Baird  a  barrel  of  potatoes  as  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  doing.  He  had,  also,  from  time  to  time,  sent  firkins  of 
butter  and  jars  of  raspberries.  What  a  bond  of  union  such 
gifts  were  between  country  and  city  friends  in  the  good 
old  days !  Writing  to  Mr.  Boardman  in  Florida,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1872,  Prof.  Baird  says  :  "  You  must  not  apolo- 
gize for  routing  us  out  so  early  on  the  day  you  left  as  it 
was  by  no  means  unnaturally  early  and  was  not  of  the 
slightest  consequence.  As  an  offset  I  shall  claim  the  right 
of  doing  the  same  thing  some  day  at  your  own  house — but 
if  you  talk  too  much  about  this  it  may  prevent  me  from 
exercising  this  privilege."  Again  writing  to  him  while 
in  Florida  in  the  winter  of  1873  he  says :  "I  do  not  at 
present  think  of  anything  very  special  in  the  way  of  birds, 
although  we  would  be  glad  to  have  some  skins  of  the 
Florida  Jay,  the  Ivory  Bill,  the  Red  Cockade  and  Wood- 
peckers, Paroquet,  etc.  I  hope,  however,  you  will  be 
able  to  secure  some  I^impkin  eggs  of  which,  as  you 
know,  we  have  only  one  and  that  from  Cuba." 

The  kindly  personal  interest  expressed  by  Prof.  Baird 
regarding  young  naturalists  and  in  all  his  friends,  is 
shown  in  many  letters.  "The  young  gentleman  from 
New  Bedford,"  he  writes  to  Mr.  Boardman,  October  10, 
1870,  "who  wants  to  go  with  you  next  winter  is  William 


euAsJLet 


J  1^4*    cf-    ~-^  /M  *^V 


CORRESPONDENCE  161 

Nye.  You  will  find  him  an  excellent  companion,  per- 
fectly able  to  look  out  for  himself  and  to  take  his  share 
of  the  hard  work  of  the  campaign."  On  May  3,  1872: 
"  I  am  sorry  that  poor  Krider  has  been  so  much  afflicted 
in  his  family.  I  had  heard  nothing  of  his  misfortunes." 
On  May  21,  1874,  he  inquires:  "  Who  is  Mr.  Whitney 
and  what  does  he  do  for  a  living  ? ' '  and  on  June  3  of 
the  same  year  says :  ' '  Many  thanks  for  the  information 
respecting  Mr.  Whitney.  Can  you  give  me  any  idea  how 
long  he  is  likely  to  stay  in  California  and  whether  a  let- 
ter addressed  to  him  would  reach  him  in  time  to  secure 
some  specimens."  In  this  letter  he  also  adds:  "I  am 
glad  to  hear  that  you  are  able  to  give  Willie  Bryant  some 
help  in  his  researches.  I  trust  he  will  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father  so  far  as  natural  history  is  concerned." 
In  a  letter  dated  May  17,  1872,  he  says:  "I  am  glad  to 
find  that  you  got  home  safely  and  that  Mrs.  Boardman  is 
better.  Perhaps  if  you  will  take  her  on  your  next  excur- 
sion to  Florida  she  will  be  less  troubled  with  that  heart 
complaint. ' '  In  the  very  last  letter  that  Prof.  Baird  wrote 
to  Mr.  Boardman,  dated  at  Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  Septem- 
ber 9,  1886,  occurs  this  sentence:  "I  am  glad  of  the 
prospect  of  getting  the  skin  of  the  black  lynx ;  it  will  be 
quite  a  novelty  to  us." 

Letters  from  Prof.  Baird  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Washington,  D.  C,  Nov.  1,  1869. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

Yours  of  the  25  of  October  is  duly  at  hand ;  and  for  a  letter 
that  might  be  presumed  to  give  an  account  of  a  wedding  in  the 
family,  it  has  about  as  little  reference  to  that  subject  as  it  well 
could.  You  do  not  tell  us  how  the  bride  looked,  nor  the  bride- 
groom, nor  any  of  the  particulars  that  the  ladies  especially  are  so 


162    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

anxious  to  learn ;  and  not  the  first  bit  of  cake  has,  so  far,  come  to 
hand.  I  suppose,  however,  you  intend  to  bring  your  trunk  full  of 
it  when  you  come. 

Is  it  not  about  time  for  you  to  tell  us  a  little  as  to  your  plans 
for  the  future,  and  when  we  may  arrange  for  killing  the  fatted 
calf  for  yourself  and  Mrs.  Boardman  and  Willie?  Tell  Willie  that 
Mr.  Elliot  is  expected  back  in  a  few  days ;  and  he  will  have  plenty 
of  pictures  to  look  at,  as  well  as  be  making  new  ones  all  the  time. 

The  report  you  asked  for,  for  Mr.  Pollice,  has  already  gone  to 
him.  Let  me  know  if  anybody  else  remains  to  be  supplied.  We 
have  sent  to  Dr.  Todd,  to  Simpson,  and  to  Connor.  Who  else  is 
to  be  remembered? 

The  skulls  of  the  South  African  beasts  are  what  we  now 
want  above  everything  else  of  that  kind.  Nothing  would  come 
amiss.  Entire  skeletons  of  course  are  most  desirable ;  but  single 
skulls,  with  the  teeth  and  horns  as  perfect  as  possible,  including 
the  lower  jaws,  will  be  very  useful  to  us.  We  have  one  entire 
elephant  skull,  I  think  it  is  South  African  ;  but  other  specimens, 
even  single  teeth,  will  be  welcome.  The  rhinoceros  we  have  not 
and  want  it  very  much.  Nothing  of  the  mammalian  kind  will 
fail  to  be  acceptable. 

Kidgway  has  not  reached  Washington,  but  will  probably  be 
here  before  long.  His  collections  are  probably  in  our  cellar, 
although  I  do  not  distinguish  any  box  as  his,  among  quite  a  large 
number  sent  in  by  Mr.  King. 

I  am  glad  you  have  the  nest  of  the  Goshawk,  and  hope  it  will 
reach  us  in  safety.  We  want  to  procure  such  large  specimens,  as 
they  can  only  be  exhibited  where  there  is  an  opportunity  for 
giving  them  ample  room,  which  can  be  done  in  our  museum. 

We  have  already  sent  you  three  copies  of  the  bird  catalogue, 
printed  only  on  one  side ;  but  if  you  want  more  let  me  know.  We 
expect  Dr.  Brewer  with  Mrs.  Brewer  and  Lucy  to  pay  us  a  visit 
soon  after  Thanksgiving.  The  Dr.  expects  to  make  some  big 
hauls  in  the  way  of  eggs.  I  did  not  find  much  of  special  novelty 
here,  on  my  return ;  very  few  eggs  of  any  account,  and  only  one 
case  of  birds  from  Bishop,  embracing  nothing  new,  and  nothing 
very  rare.  Our  Arctic  collections,  when  they  reach  us,  which 
will  be  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  will  doubtless  be  full  of 


CORRESPONDENCE  163 

interest.     We  had  from  Willis  the  other  day  a  box  containing  350 
eggs  of  the  Arctic  Tern,  and  about  50  of  either  Sheldrake  or  Black 
Duck;  and  I  wait  your  coming  to  determine  which. 
Yours  truly, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

How  do  you  like  the  preceding  experiment  of  phonographic 
reporting*  or  have  I  tried  it  on  you  before?  I  found  Professor 
Henry  quite  ill  on  my  return,  and  although  better  I  have  still  to 
attend  to  most  of  his  share  of  correspondence  so  that  1  have  been 
obliged  to  call  in  services  of  a  reporter.  It  is  very  nice  in  some 
respects,  as  I  gain  a  great  deal  of  time,  and  sometimes  work  oft*  40 
or  50  letters  in  a  couple  of  hours.  It  is  however  not  quite  satis- 
factory as  you  cannot  tell  when  you  are  repeating  words  or  ideas 
unnecessarily  and  the  chain  of  connection  is  not  so  clear. 

I  am  adding  to  the  box  for  Cheney  and  have  just  put  in  some 
shells  for  his  wife. 

Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  7,  1871. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

Yours  of  the  4th  came  to  hand  yesterday,  and  I  hasten  to  say 
how  happy  we  shall  be  to  see  you  and  Mrs.  Boardman  here.  Give  us 
word  by  telegraph,  the  morning  you  start,  in  order  that  we  may 
be  completely  prepared  for  you. 

I  am  much  interested  in  what  you  say  about  the  African  ani- 
mals. Please  send  on  directly  here  all  you  can  beg,  borrow  or 
steal,  and  we  will  decide  in  regard  to  their  preparation.  We  shall 
have  all  that  are  capable  of  it,  suitably  mounted  for  exhibition  as 
specimens,  making  skulls  of  any  that  will  not  suit  our  purpose. 
We  expect  a  first-rate  taxidermist  here  in  the  course  of  the  winter, 
who  probably  will  be  able  to  do  full  justice  to  them.  We  do  not 
want  anything  set  up  iu  our  museum  looking  pretty  well;  nothing 
but  the  very  best  taxidermy  will  suit  us  now. 

Cannot  you  get  for  us  that  big  Wild  Boar.  It  might  serve  to 
stare  out  of  countenance  some  of  our  animals  of  a  similar  nature 

♦This  addenda  —  in  Prof.  Baird's  own  hand  —  to  the  letter  of  November  1,  1869, 
refers  to  its  having  been  dictated  to  a  stenographer,  or  to  a  "  reporter  "  as  he  terms  it,  a 
form  of  letter  writing  that  was  then  new. 


164    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

that  now  roam  in  Washington  undisturbed.    So  do  the  best  you 
can  for  us,  "and  your  petitioner  will  ever  pray." 

With  much  love  to  Mrs.  Boardman  from  all  of  us,  believe  me, 
Truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  D.  C,  May  9,  1871. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

You  may  be  sure  that  we  shall  look  out  for  the  barrel  of 
potatoes,  and  hope  it  will  come  before  we  leave.  Our  plan  is  still 
to  get  away  to  Woods  Holl  as  early  in  June  as  possible,  although 
the  precise  date  is  a  matter  of  some  uncertainty.  I  had  a  very 
pleasant  interview  to-day  with  Mr.  Whitcher,  the  Fish  Commis- 
sioner of  Canada,  and  he  proposed  a  good  deal  of  joint  work.  He 
says  if  I  will  go  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy  next  year  he  will  be  present 
himself,  or  by  deputy,  and  will  furnish  on  the  part  of  the  gov- 
ernment, all  necessary  assistance  in  the  way  of  vessels,  etc.,  and 
we  can  have  a  good  time  overhauling  the  natural  history  of  the 
fishes.  This  was  what  I  had  looked  forward  to,  and  was  very 
glad  to  have  him  suggest  it. 

We  have  agreed  to  take  the  Moose  that  your  boy  sent 
Wallace,  and  the  Caribou,  at  .$75  each,  which  he  says  was  about  the 
price  of  mounting ;  and  I  believe  he  has  already  been  paid  this 
amount,  so  that  it  will  hardly  be  possible  to  have  the  one  Brewster 
offers. 

I  suppose  you  have  not  seen  Wallace's  specimens  so  as  to 
judge  of  their  excellence.  He  promises  to  keep  them  on  hand 
until  we  want  them,  which  will  not  be  until  next  fall. 

Bidgway  has  painted  up  your  Auk's  egg  and  it  will  be  sent  on 
very  soon.  I  will  put  it  in  the  same  box  with  that  little  duck 
that  has  been  here  so  long,  and  forward  it  in  a  day  or  two  to  your 
brother  Gorham.  Bidgway  has  just  returned  from  New  York, 
where  he  has  had  a  very  good  time.  He  is  very  much  interested  in 
the  Central  Park. 

I  hope  those  Moose  skeletons  will  be  forthcoming,  as  we 
have  lately  had  inquiry  for  Moose  bones  and  were  unable  to 
exhibit  them.    Love  to  all. 

Very  truly  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 


CORRESPONDENCE  165 

Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  July  17,  1871. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

1  am  delighted  to  hear  that  you  have  at  last  succeeded  in 
getting  for  us  a  skeleton  of  the  Moose ;  and  write  to  ask  you  to 
forward  it  by  some  vessel  loaded  with  lumber  and  bound  for  Wash- 
ington. If  you  can  seud  it  to  the  care  of  our  friend  Mohun  it  will 
be  well,  as  he  is  very  clever  in  such  matters.  Please  let  me  know 
the  bill  of  expense,  in  order  that  I  may  send  it  to  Washington  and 
have  it  paid.  It  is  of  no  consequence  whether  or  not  the  skeleton 
reaches  Washington  before  the  middle  of  October,  or  even  later. 

I  am  glad  you  seut  the  Labrador  Duck  to  Wallace  to  be 
mounted  for  us.  I  enclose  a  letter  received  from  Cheney  in  regard 
to  a  strange  duck  which  I  caunot  make  out ;  can  you  give  me  any 
suggestion  in  regard  to  this? 

I  am  not  at  all  astonished  that  Dresser  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  California  book,  either  as  to  the  descriptions  or  the  biographies. 

I  flatter  myself  that  the  new  work  will  be  a  totally  different 
affair,  and  that  in  it  he  will  find  all  that  is  to  be  known  in  regard 
to  the  habits,  as  well  as  descriptions  of  our  American  species.  I 
am  glad  to  have  information  in  regard  to  Allen's  movements, 
which  I  have  not  previously  known.  He  will  undoubtedly  make 
a  magnificent  collection  of  all  sorts  of  things.  Could  you  not  get 
Capt.  Treat  to  save  for  us  the  jaws  of  the  sharks  he  takes  and 
throws  away  this  summer?  That  will  give  me  a  clue  to  the  species, 
and  should  I  get  to  Eastport  next  summer  I  shall  then  arrange  to 
make  a  more  complete  collection. 

I  am  hard  at  work  here,  studying  up  the  fish,  and  have  already 
collected  quite  an  amount  of  valuable  information  on  the  subject. 
If  you  come  to  Boston  before  September,  I  wish  you  would  run 
down  for  a  few  days  and  see  us  here. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baikd. 

Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  17,  1872. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

Yours  of  the  11th  has  just  come  to  hand  with  its  effectual 
disposition  of  the  question  of  the  Coontail  cat.  I  am  not  at  all 
surprised  at  the  result,  I  am  glad  to  find  the  question  set  at  rest. 


166    THK  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  envy  you  your  trip  up  the  St.  John  in  the  little  steamer. 
Don't  you  think  you  ought  to  have  a  dredge  along  and  do  what 
you  can  in  scraping  the  bottom  on  the  way?  I  shall  be  glad  to 
have  you  secure  the  alligators  referred  to ;  and  hope  you  will  get 
at  least  one.  Dr.  Brewer  came  last  night  and  will  remain  until 
some  time  next  week.  He  brought  that  undetermined  nest  and 
egg  that  you  collected  last  year,  the  female  parent  of  which  was 
described  as  like  a  female  Bobolink.  We  have  been  looking  over 
the  matter,  however,  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a 
Pine  grosbeak.  I  have,  accordingly,  confiscated  the  specimen,  in 
the  interest  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  intend  to  hold  on 
to  it. 

I  wrote  to  Bickmore  about  that  Labrador  Duck  and  told  him 
we  would  be  very  glad  to  have  it  for  the  Smithsonian.  He  writes 
in  reply  to  know  what  we  will  offer  the  Museum  of  Natural  History 
for  it.  I  then  responded  that  if  he  chose  to  put  the  intercourse 
between  the  Smithsonian  and  the  New  York  Museum  on  a  strict 
exchange,  quid  pro  quo,  it  was  all  right,  but  it  was  not  exactly  the 
way  we  were  in  the  habit  of  treating  such  institutions ;  that  it  had 
been  our  intention  to  give  the  Museum  a  first-rate  series  of  our 
duplicates  without  any  consideration  of  the  question  whether  they 
could  give  any  exchange ;  but  if  he  preferred  the  other  plan  1 
would  send  him  a  list  from  which  to  make  a  selection.  This 
would  be  rather  a  poor  way  of  doing  business  for  the  Museum,  as 
we  have  so  much  more  to  give  than  they  have  to  return. 

Give  my  kind  regards  to  Prof.  Wyman  and  tell  him  I  hope 
he  will  stop  in  Washington  on  his  return  and  see  us. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  D.  C,  March  9,  1872. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Yours  of  the  3d  is  safely  at  hand,  and  I  envy  you  the  nice 
time  you  are  having  in  Florida.  I  hope  you  will  come  back  full 
of  treasures  and  ready  to  share  them,  as  ever,  with  the  Smith- 
sonian. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  we  are  in  possession  of  the  Labrador 
Duck,  a  very  nice  specimen  which  arrived  yesterday.  A  week  or 
two  ajjo  I   wrote  to   Bickmore  asking  whether  he  wished  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  167 

relations  between  the  Smithsonian  and  the  New  York  Museum  to 
be  put  on  a  strictly  commercial  basis;  and  I  received  a  private 
letter  from  Mr.  Haines,  who  in  some  way  had  heard  of  our  cor- 
respondence and  who  disavowed  any  such  ideas  of  a  quid  pro  quo 
as  Mr.  Bickmore  seemed  disposed  to  establish,  and  said  the 
Museum  would  be  always  happy  to  give  the  Institution  whatever 
they  had  to  spare.  Shortly  after  Bickmore  wrote  stating  that  it 
gave  him  much  pleasure  to  send  the  specimens ;  so  that  I  suppose 
he  had  received  some  sort  of  hint  from  the  committee. 

We  have  nothing  new  since  the  date  of  your  last  letter  except 
that  collections  of  one  kind  and  another  are  coming  in;  and  we 
are  hard  at  work  trying  to  keep  matters  in  good  condition.  We 
shall  send  oft'  Monday  the  Moose  skeletons  to  Ward  to  have  them 
mounted  and  prepared  in  his  best  style. 

Bidgway  is  here  hard  at  work  at  the  Water  Birds,  and  we 
have  about  120  pages  of  our  new  book  in  type,  though  the  work 
goes  on  rather  slowly.  With  much  love  from  all  our  people  1 
remain, 

Sincerely  and  truly  yours, 

Spenceh  F.  Baikd. 

Eastport,  July  17,  1872. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

I  want  to  come  up,  before  a  great  while,  and  pay  you  another 
short  visit;  but  cannot  quite  see  my  way  clear  to  do  it  just  now. 
I  write,  however,  to  say  that  we  hope,  as  soon  as  the  Keveuue 
Cutter  is  finished  to  make  the  long  talked  of  trip  to  Grand  Mauan, 
and  we  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  and  Mrs.  Boardman  ready  to 
join  us  in  the  excursion.  Mr.  Cheney  was  over  here  yesterday, 
and  I  arranged  to  have  him  in  readiness  to  take  us  around  when 
we  go. 

On  Monday  last,  the  Senator,  Mr.  Paine,  Capt.  Treat  and 
myself  went  up  to  visit  the  pond,  not  far  from  Bobbinston,  into 
which  the  captain  had  put  a  number  of  salmon  fifteen  years  ago, 
and  where  the  fish  had  been  reported  visible  on  several  occasions. 
We  took  with  us  a  large  salmon  net  and  set  it  in  the  lake  but 
caught  no  fish.  Many  of  the  neighbors,  however,  assured  us  that 
they  had  seen  huge  fish,  of  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds,  jumping 


168     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

out  of  the  water.     We  had  a  delightful  excursion  and  returned 
yesterday  in  good  condition. 

Please  let  rue  know  the  amount  that  you  advanced  to  French 
for  the  Grand  Lake  Stream  expedition.  This,  I  presume,  cost 
considerably  more  than  the  first  estimate ;  probably  somewhere 
from  twenty  to  thirty  dollars.  Of  course  this  is  a  matter  of  no 
consequence,  and  I  only  ask  that  I  may  not  forget  to  pay  you 
when  I  see  you. 

Mayuard  made  his  appearance  last  week  and  went  to  Grand 
Manan  the  next  day.  Cheney  says  that  he  and  Herrick  are  col- 
lecting a  great  many  birds.  Herrick,  among  others,  has  several 
hundred  skins  of  Petrels.  I  wish  you  would  see  Mr.  Eaton  again 
and  find  out  whether  he  has  sold  the  engine  of  his  steamer,  or 
whether  she  is  available  for  my  use.  If  he  proposes  to  rent  her 
to  me  I  would  like  to  have  him  give  me  his  terms  in  writing  so  as 
to  form  the  basis  of  a  regular  contract. 

Verrill  has  not  yet  arrived,  but  I  expect  him  every  day,  and 
presume  that  the  steamer  will  be  needed  by  the  end  of  this  week 
or  the  beginning  of  next.  As  I  understood  Eaton  he  would  fur- 
nish the  boat,  with  an  engineer  and  attendant,  and  coal,  for  $10  a 
day,  and  that,  possibly  on  carefully  considering  the  matter,  he 
might  be  able  to  put  it  at  a  somewhat  lower  figure. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Eastport,  Aug.  29,  1872. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

I  went  over  to  Grand  Manan  last  Friday,  and  spending  the 
night  with  Cheney,  started  Saturday  morning  for  McLaughlin's, 
where  we  remained  till  yesterday  morning.  The  object  of  my 
excursion  was  especially  to  talk  with  McLaughlin  about  herring, 
and  see  for  myself  the  spawning  ground.  I  had  a  very  pleasant 
visit,  barring  two  days  of  fog  and  rain,  and  was  accompanied  by 
quite  a  number  of  young  scientifics.  We  did  considerable  dredg- 
ing and  obtained  numerous  curious  objects. 

On  my  return  I  find  your  letter  of  the  26th  with  its  enclosure 
from  Krider,  and  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  opportunity  of 
knowing  what  he  is  about.  I  hope  he  will  send  you  the  egg  of 
the  Solitary  Sandpiper;  as,  if  it  is  a  genuine  one,  I  will  manage  to 


CORRESPONDENCE  1C9 

steal  it  from  you.     He  is  rather  shy  now  of  giving  anything  to 
the  Smithsonian. 

It  is  now  so  late  in  the  season,  and  Verrill  will  leave  so  soon, 
that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  do  anything  more  with  Mr. 
Eaton.  I  think  that  with  the  help  of  the  tug  we  could  have  done 
a  good  deal  more  work.  Still  it  would  have  cost  three  or  four 
hundred  dollars  of  my  appropriation,  which  I  can  use  to  better 
advantage.  Mr.  Gill  has  been  here  a  week,  and  leaves  today.  He 
was  with  me  at  Grand  Manan,  and  saw  a  good  deal  that  interested 
him. 

We  are  sorry  to  learn  that,  Mrs.  Boardman  is  being  taxed  so 
much  by  the  sickness  of  your  relatives,  and  hope  she  may  soon  be 
relieved  by  their  recovery.  Is  it  not  almost  time  for  some  of  you 
to  come  down  to  Eastport?  It  seems  a  great  while  since  we  were 
together. 

Very  truly  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  Nov.  20,  1872. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Your  letter  of  the  15th  and  the  accompanying  Chick  of  the 
Canada  Grouse  came  safely  to  hand.  The  latter  will  be  at  once 
figured  for  the  forthcoming  book. 

I  was  glad  to  find  from  Dr.  Brewer  that  he  did  not  consider 
his  loss  irreparable,  and  hope  he  may  soon  recover  all  the  old 
ground.  I  shall  look  to  see  you,  according  to  your  letter,  towards 
the  end  of  December;  and  hope  to  be  able  to  make  your  visit  to 
us  a  pleasant  one. 

I  would  be  very  glad  indeed  to  have  the  first  pair  of  Caribou 
skeletons,  male  and  female,  to  be  got  and  pay  whatever  they  are 
worth.  I  also  would  be  glad  to  have  a  pair  of  skins,  and  would 
like  a  first-rate  head  with  them  ;  also,  if  it  is  possible  to  get  a  good 
female  moose  skin,  I  would  like  it,  so  as  to  complete  our  series  of 
large  animals.  We  have  just  received  from  Prof.  Ward  the 
skeleton  of  the  moose  you  sent,  and  it  is  perfectly  magnificent  in 
its  general  appearance.  As  we  have  the  Irish  Elk  and  common 
Elk,  the  three  make  a  fine  series.  We  have  a  man  permanently 
employed  who  can  beat  Wallace  all  to  pieces.  He  is  the  same 
person  who  mounted  the  head  of  the  buffalo  we  have. 


170    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mrs.  Baird  has  just  gone  off  to  make  a  visit  at  my  sister's  and 
would  send  love  to  Mrs.  Boardman  if  she  were  here. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  16,  1873. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

T  was  very  sorry  indeed  that  I  did  not  have  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  on  your  way  South,  and  if  I  had  had  any  idea  of  the 
train  to  look  for  I  should  have  been  at  the  station  and  seized  you. 

Our  smallpox  scare  is  about  over ;  as,  although  our  neighbors 
have  been  kept  in  strict  quarantine,  there  has  been  no  additional 
development  of  the  disease.  We  have  not  had  any  apprehension 
of  it  for  some  days  past.  Your  letter  was  delayed,  reaching  me 
too  late  for  me  to  write  or  telegraph  to  Philadelphia ;  otherwise  I 
should  have  sent  you  a  despatch  asking  you  to  stop.  I  hope, 
however,  we  shall  not  be  cheated  out  of  a  visit  from  yourself  and 
Mrs.  Boardman  on  your  return. 

I  cannot  imagine  what  Krider's  hawks  are  unless  they  be  the 
California  Rough-Leg.  Did  you  notice  how  much  feathering 
there  was  on  the  feet?  These  are  bare  about  as  much  as  the  com- 
mon partridge,  the  feathers  not  reaching  down  to  the  toes.  I 
would  endeavor  to  see  the  birds  if  I  thought  Krider  would  show 
them  to  me,  but  he  has  been  so  shy  of  showing  anything  to  me 
that  I  have  not  cared  to  bother  about  it. 

We  have  received  quite  a  number  of  nice  things  from  Elliot 
and  Dall,  among  them  eggs  of  two  species  of  Phaleris,  the  Red- 
Legged  Kittiwake,  the  Gray  Auk  and  some  others,  eight  or  nine 
in  number.  It  is  no  small  thing  to  get  so  many  new  water  birds 
at  one  lot.    Among  the  series  was  the   egg  of  Steller's   Duck. 

With  love  to  Mrs.  Boardman,  believe  me, 
Sincerely  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  March  8,  1873. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

We  were  very  glad  to  get  your  letter  of  the  3d  and  to  know 
something  of  your  whereabouts.  I  was  beginning  to  feel  quite 
uneasy  about  you,  fearing  that  some  snapping  turtle  or  alligator 
had  gobbled  you  up. 


CORRESPONDENCE  171 

You  give  us  a  very  tempting  account  of  a  Southern  Spring. 
This  would  have  been  in  greater  contrast  with  our  own  if  we  had 
received  it  on  the  day  of  Inauguration.  This  was  excessively 
cold  and  bitter,  and  caused  great  disappointment  to  the  thousands 
of  strangers  who  came  in  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  There 
was  a  ball  in  tbe  evening  in  a  new  building  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose, 350  feet  by  15'),  and  it  was  so  cold  that  the  guests  wore  all 
the  wrappings  they  could  gather  together,  and  they  had  to  chop 
up  the  chicken  salad  with  hatchets  to  get  a  chance  to  eat  it.  It 
was  so  cold  that  it  is  said  the  breath  as  it  rose  into  the  air  gave 
the  appearance  of  a  company  engaged  in  smoking. 

If  you  will  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  time  of  blooming  of 
the  Cereus  plant,  and  let  me  know  when  this  comes  off,  I  will 
come  down  and  see  the  phenomenon. 

When  I  went  through  Philadelphia  a  few  weeks  ago  I  stopped 
and  tried  to  see  Krider's  hawks,  but  Hooper  had  them  in  West 
Philadelphia,  and  I  could  not  get  a  sight  at  them. 

From  the  description  I  infer  that  they  must  be  a  variety  of 
Swainson's  Buzzard.  I  cannot  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  new 
species  of  so  limited  distribution. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

We  are  beginning  to  look  forward  to  a  visit  from  you  on  your 
way  home.  We  feel  as  if  the  smallpox  had  cheated  us  out  of  our 
visit  to  which  we  had  a  right. 

M.  H.  C.  B. 

Washington,  Dec.  30,  1873. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Your  letter  of  the  23d  was  duly  received,  together  with  the 
specimens  therein  advised,  and  we  were  especially  pleased  to  get 
the  Whitefish,  as  enabling  us  to  form  some  idea  of  its  character. 
It  appears  to  be  essentially  the  same  as  that  common  in  the  St. 
John  Kiver  and  known  there  as  the  Gizzard  fish,  although  it  is 
quite  different  from  the  Whitefish  of  the  western  lakes. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  say  whether  the  young  fish  are  land- 
locked salmon  or  sea  salmon,  especially  as  nobody  has  been  able 
to  point  out  a  character  sufficiently  marked  to  distinguish  them. 


172    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

The  pigeon  is  one  of  the  West  Indian  species,  the  name  of 
which  I  have  not  identified. 

Any  time  that  you  have  anything  else  to  send  please  forward 
the  Florida  fish. 

With  love  to  everybody,  believe  me, 

Yours  truly, 

S.  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  April  17,  1874. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

I  have  been  wondering  very  much  what  had  become  of  you, 
and  only  learned  incidentally  from  a  gentleman  who  met  you  in 
San  Francisco,  that  you  had  actually  gone  to  California.  I  am 
glad  to  know  that  you  are  having  so  good  a  time,  and  I  trust  that 
you  will  come  back  in  first-rate  health,  with  lots  of  nice  speci- 
mens and  enough  for  your  friends.  I  have  nothing  very  novel  to 
communicate  in  regard  to  our  doings.  We  are  progressing  in  the 
old  humdrum  manner,  steadily  adding  to  our  collections,  without 
anything  very  startling.  I  hope,  however,  that  the  coming  sea- 
son will  be  equally  prolific  with  the  last  in  birds  and  their  eggs, 
of  which,  by  the  way,  you  ought  to  be  able  to  pick  up  some  nice 
ones  in  California. 

The  government  expeditions  are  getting  ready  to  go  out 
although  the  appropriation  bills  have  not  yet  passed.  Dr.  Coues 
will  doubtless  get  into  the  east  section  of  the  country  and  will 
probably  add  largely  to  his  lists. 

Mrs.  Bryant's  youngest  son,  Willie,  seems  to  inherit  the 
zoological  tastes  of  his  father,  the  doctor ;  and  in  reply  to  her 
inquiry  as  to  a  good  locality  for  the  spring,  I  have  advised  her 
sending  Willie  up  to  Princeton  with  his  attendant,  there  to  hire  a 
couple  of  Indians  and  look  up  birds'  nests.  Mr.  Frank  Carryl 
of  New  Jersey  proposes  to  follow  quite  a  similar  route. 

My  appropriation  for  the  summer  has  not  yet  passed,  but  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  go  to  Noank  towards  the  end  of  June,  where  I 
trust  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  from  you. 
Very  truly  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 


CORRESPONDENCE  173 

NOANK,  Coiiu.,  July  25,  1874. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Thanks  for  your  clever  letter.  As  to  the  uest  of  the  Pileated 
Woodpecker,  if  you  do  not  disturb  it  at  all,  nor  the  old  birds, 
they  will  in  all  probability  nest  in  the  same  place  next  season, 
aud  by  a  little  judicious  manoeuvering,  by  taking  out  one  egg  at 
a  time  with  a  spoon,  they  may  yield  a  dozen  eggs  as  the  Red- 
headed Woodpeckers  and  the  (LJ  olden-winged  do  under  the  same 
circumstances.  It  would  be  a  grand  thing  if  you  could  get  about  a 
dozen  eggs  from  this  one  nest. 

We  are  having  a  very  good  time  here,  and  our  party  has  met 
with  success  quite  equal  to  our  expectations.  The  dredgers  go  out 
every  day  or  two,  and  bring  back  lots  of  nice  things.  The  tishes 
are  also  interesting.  Dr.  Palmer  is  still  in  Florida;  but  I  have  a 
very  good  substitute  for  him.  Lucy  is  still  at  North  Conway 
where  she  is  having  a  good  time. 

Very  truly  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 

West  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Sept.  13,  1876. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Yours  of  the  10th  is  to  hand.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  the 
pleasant  weather  has  greatly  improved  the  comfort  of  the  exhibi- 
tion and  that  we  are  all  doing  pretty  well  in  consequence.  I  hope 
you  will  not  fail  to  carry  out  your  intention  of  coming  on  in 
October. 

If  I  were  you  I  would  not  sell  my  pair  of  Labrador  Ducks  at 
any  price.  Sometime  you  will  probably  want  to  give  or  sell  your 
collection  to  some  institution  and  the  including  in  it  of  a  pair  of 
Labrador  Ducks  will  add  greatly  to  its  value.  Under  any  cir- 
cumstances do  not  hint  at  a  less  price  than  $200  or  $250  in  gold 
for  the  pair.  There  seems  to  be  a  fancy  for  Labrador  Ducks,  aud 
you  can  get  that  as  well  as  not.  I  would  not  sell  them  for  a  cent 
less.  You  may  be  able  to  get  another  female,  but  it  is  doubtful 
in  regard  to  a  male. 

Mind  what  I  say  about  the  price.  Tell  him  that  you  do  not 
want  to  part  with  them,  but  that  they  are  worth  the  amount 
mentioned  by  me. 

Sincerely  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 


174     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Washington,  D.  C,  Nov.  27,  1878. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Yours  of  the  24th  is  to  hand.  I  was  in  hopes  you  would 
begin  to  say  something  about  coming  south.  Will  it  not  be  a  good 
idea  for  you  to  spend  the  next  winter  here  as  you  did  the  last? 

I  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  you  about  adventures  and  experi- 
ences at  Gloucester  during  the  summer,  and  of  explorations, 
arctic  and  otherwise.  One  of  the  best  things  obtained  on  the 
Banks  was  the  skin  of  the  great  Skua  Gull.  We  obtained  all  the 
Jaegers,  as  also  the  Dusky  Puffin,  etc.  Send  on  the  specimens 
whenever  you  are  ready,  and  eggs  as  many  as  you  please. 

With  love  from  all  of  us  to  yourself  and  Mrs.  Boardman, 
believe  me,  Sincerely  yours, 

Spencer  F.  Baird. 

Washington,  D.  C,  Dec,  1884. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

Your  letter  of  the  18th  is  to  hand.  Mr.  Eidgway  was  quite 
enthusiastic  in  regard  to  the  Florida  Pigeon  Hawk,  and  is  much 
obliged  to  you  for  saying  that  he  might  place  it  in  the  Museum. 
The  next  time  you  go,  try  and  get  some  more. 

1  hope  Albert  will  be  able  to  get  one  or  more  skins  and 
skeletons  of  the  Trumpeter  Swan ;  they  are  apparently  getting 
very  scarce. 

Several  white  Whooping  Cranes  would  also  be  very  nice. 
They  could  easily  be  sent  in  the  flesh  in  the  cold  weather;  but 
if  necessary  they  might  be  skinned  and  poisoned,  and  sent  with 
the  skins  green  to  be  mounted  here. 

What  is  the  latest  Fish  Commission  and  Smithsonian  Report 
you  have  received?    Both  volumes  for  1882  have  been  published. 

None  of  Nelson's  reports  have  appeared. 

Turner  has  got  back  from  Labrador  with  some  nice  things, 
but  nothing  startling. 

We  are  just  having  a  very  severe  cold  snap.  The  thermometer 
was  nine  above  zero,  which  we  considered  pretty  sharp.  I  do 
not  think  we  had  such  cold  weather  last  year. 

With  warmest  regards  from  everybody  to  yourself  and  Mrs. 
Boardman,  I  remain,  Sincerely  yours, 

S.  F.  Baird. 


CORRESPONDENCE  175 

During  the  first  year  of  their  correspondence,  1865, 
fourteen  letters  were  written  by  Mr.  Boardman  to  Prof. 
Baird.  The  period  of  greatest  activity  in  the  correspond- 
ence between  these  friends  was  during  the  years  1868 
to  1880.  In  1868  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  eighteen  letters 
to  Prof.  Baird  ;  in  1869,  forty-two  ;  in  1870,  twenty-six 
and  in  1875,  sixteen.  These  letters  are  in  the  most  familiar 
language,  all  are  interesting  and  nearly  every  one  con- 
tains more  or  less  notes  about  the  birds  he  had  observed 
and  studied.  There  is  not  a  letter  within  the  range  of 
the  entire  correspondence  that  does  not  close  with 
remembrance  to  "our  scientific  friends"  and  "much 
love  to  Mrs.  Baird  and  L,ucy."  Prof.  Baird  must  have 
been  happy  to  have  received  these  entertaining  letters. 
He  made  special  request  for  them.  As  late  as  1880  Mr. 
Boardman  began  a  letter  November  3,  by  saying  :  "I 
am  afraid  I  have  not  come  quite  up  to  your  order  to  write 
every  month  as  it  must  be  more  than  that  since  I  have 
written;"  while  on  December  29,  1882,  writing  from 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  he  commences  a  letter  with  :  "Some 
years  ago  you  told  me  I  must  write  you  every  month.  I 
do  not  know  how  long  that  order  was  to  last  and  think  I 
have  not  observed  it  very  well. ' '  This  was  seventeen  years 
after  their  correspondence  commenced  and  how  dear  and 
rich  had  been  the  intercourse  and  correspondence  between 
these  two  friends !  It  was  but  two  years  before  Prof. 
Baird's  death  and  shows  how  intimate  and  constant  had 
been  their  friendship  and  work  even  though  the  period 
of  their  activity  was  nearing  its  close.  Its  end  only  came 
with  the  death  of  the  great  scientist. 

While  scores  of  entire  letters  are  devoted  to  ornitho- 
logical matters  there  are  in  all  the  others  references  to  his 


176    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

favorite  study  which  make  all  Mr.  Boardman's  corre- 
spondence of  value.  From  Milltown,  N.  B.,  he  writes 
May  5,  1868  :  "I  got  a  nice  nest  of  Goshawk's  eggs  yes- 
terday, with  the  old  female  —  the  first  I  ever  found  with 
the  old  parent.  I  am  trying  hard  for  the  Saw- whet  and 
Richardson's  Owl  eggs.  They  ought  to  be  found  as  they 
are  not  uncommon  all  summer  in  the  woods.  I  hope  you 
may  soon  get  your  arctic  boxes  and  find  some  new  and 
good  things.  The  warblers  have  got  along  and  hundreds 
of  birds  have  perished  by  the  cold."  On  June  10,  1868, 
writing  from  Boston  he  says:  "I  brought  up  a  Pine 
Finch  nest  and  eggs,  also  a  Canada  Jay's  to  Dr.  Brewer, 
as  he  wants  to  figure  and  describe  them."  ' '  If  you  have 
any  northern  skins  that  would  help  my  collection,"  he 
writes  October  12,  1868,  "  please  put  them  in  when  send- 
ing the  box  —  say  a  good  summer  plumaged  Old  Squaw, 
Bonaparte  Gull,  and  that  I  may  compare  it,  one  of  those 
Barred  Three-toed  Woodpeckers  and  Hawk  Owl,"  etc. 

Mr.  Boardman  became  an  expert  taxidermist  and  his 
mounted  birds,  skins  and  eggs  always  looked  more 
artistic  and  in  better  condition  than  those  of  any  other 
collector  of  his  time.  He  always  had  better  success  in 
obtaining  rare  specimens  than  most  other  field  natural- 
ists. Writing  from  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  March  12,  1869, 
he  says  :  "I  worked  hard  to  get  the  Florida  Jay  on  the 
old  Smyrna  road  where  Dr.  Bryant  always  found  them. 
I  managed  to  get  about  a  dozen  but  no  other  collector 
got  one  except  Allen,  who  had  but  one.  I  had  to  let  a 
few  of  them  go  for  friendship's  sake.  I  have  also  about 
two  dozen  Mocking  Birds  and  quite  a  good  lot  of  Red- 
cockade  Woodpeckers." 

Writing  from  Boston,  May  28,  1869,  he  says:  "I 
notice  what  you  say   about  the  Towhees.    We  do  not 


CORRESPONDENCE  177 

have  them  at  Calais  so  I  was  not  acquainted  with  them. 
I  shot  several  last  winter  and  think  their  eyes  were  all 
very  light.  One  shot  at  Jacksonville  had  light  eyes.  I 
am  anxious  to  get  home  to  look  after  birds'  eggs  as  it 
will  soon  be  time  for  Warblers  to  nest."  "  I  am  glad," 
he  writes  from  St.  Stephen,  June  12,  1869,  "you  have 
the  Great  Auk  in  your  collection.  You  must  try  and 
get  bones  enough  this  season  to  set  up  a  good  skeleton. 
There  should  be  plenty  of  bones  at  Grand  Manan."  On 
August  1  of  the  same  year  he  writes  :  "I  got  a  new  bird 
for  my  list  last  week,  a  Black  Vulture,  Abrata.  I  got  C. 
Aura  about  eight  years  ago,  but  Atratus  I  never  knew  so 
far  north  as  cold  New  Brunswick  before  although  I  have 
known  of  several  to  be  taken  in  Massachusetts."  In 
this  same  letter  he  says  :  "I  also  got  a  duck  I  did  not 
know  this  spring,  but  think  it  was  the  female  Labrador 
Duck  and  nothing  new  only  I  did  not  have  one,  which 
helps  out  my  collection.  A  week  ago  last  evening  after 
tea,  we  took  a  canoe  and  went  up  stream  a  mile  or  two 
and  I  shot  six  Black  Ducks  and  one  Wood  Duck  —  pretty 
well  for  after  tea  with  ladies  in  the  boat  talking." 

"Yesterday,"  he  writes  on  September  21,  1869,  "I 
shot  some  Sparrows,  one  of  which  I  think  was  Lincoln's 
Finch  but  am  not  sure.  It  looked  very  much  like  a 
Savannah  Sparrow  except  the  yellow  across  the  breast." 
On  October  1,  1869,  after  Prof.  Baird  had  written  him 
about  this  specimen  he  again  writes :  "I  cannot  well 
send  the  Finch  as  it  is  mounted.  It  is  a  common  Sparrow 
that  I  have  always  taken  for  nice  specimens  of  Savannah 
Sparrow,  with  yellowish  breast.  If  Savannah  Sparrow 
does  not  have  the  yellowish  breast  it  is  probably  the 
Lincoln  Finch.     I  have  one  or  two  skins  of  the  Savannah 


178    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Sparrow  that  were  marked  by  you  which  do  not  appear 
to  have  the  yellowish  shade  to  the  breast,  but  the 
feathers  of  the  tail  are  alike.  There  are  lots  of  those 
little  Autumnal  Warblers  about  the  house.  I  suppose 
they  are  the  young  of  Black  Poll  —  they  are  very  abun- 
dant. I  have  shot  half  a  dozen  to  see  if  they  were  alike." 
"  The  Goshawk's  nest  is  in  very  good  condition  and  I 
will  send  it.  I  have  no  doubt  Dr.  Brewer  will  have  a 
nice  visit.  Give  him  all  the  eggs  he  wants  if  he  will 
only  finish  up  another  part  of  his  Oology  —  ten  or  twelve 
years  for  a  part  is  slow  business.  He  must  hurry  up  or 
we  shall  all  be  dead  before  we  know  anything  about  eggs. 
I  am  sending  some  things  to  Wallace.  I  want  to  get  a 
few  Deer  or  Caribou  heads  fixed  to  give  away.  I  only 
want  a  few  but  I  want  good  ones;  I  don't  like  so  much 
trash."  Writing  December  18,  1869,  he  says  :  "I  add 
three  birds  new  to  my  list  this  year — Florida  Gallinule, 
Purple  Gallinule  and  Black  Vulture.  I  also  hope  to  add 
Lincoln's  Finch,  but  I  cannot  tell  till  I  see  your  speci- 
mens. These  were  taken  at  Grand  Manan."  Writing 
from  Milltown,  July  26,  1870,  he  gives  this  description  of 
a  new  duck : 

I  told,  or  wrote  you,  some  years  ago,  of  shooting  several  small 
ducks  I  could  not  understand ;  I  concluded  they  were  in  young 
plumage  and  did  not  save  them.  Saturday  I  shot  one  female  in 
full  plumage,  as  she  had  with  her  a  flock  of  nine  chicks.  When  I 
shot  her,  I  thought  it  a  Wood  Duck  or  Teal,  and  only  shot  one 
chick,  as  I  did  not  suppose  it  was  anything  new.  I  have  mounted 
the  old  duck  and  chick,  and  wish  you  could  tell  me  its  name ;  I 
have  not  looked  at  any  books  for  its  name  as  I  don't  know  where 
to  look.  Its  size  is  about  the  Buddy  Duck,  perhaps  a  little  smaller ; 
its  back,  sides  and  breast  a  very  bright  ruddy  brown,  its  neck 
mottled  a  light  white  and  brown  and  looks  gray,  head  darker, 


CORRESPONDENCE  179 

throat  light  and  lighter  from  the  eyes  to  the  bill ;  bill  wide  like 
Ruddy,  but  not  so  wide,  and  no  turn  up  to  the  end  —  feet  not  so 
large  as  the  Ruddy,  spot  on  wing  about  the  size  of  Teal,  dove 
color  or  lavender  edged  with  white,  the  white  very  narrow,  under 
wings  white,  tail  dark,  the  under  feathers  white  and  brown,  belly 
gray  mottled  with  brown.  I  don't  think  it  any  cross  as  it  had 
a  flock  of  young  and  I  have  shot  half  a  dozen  years  before ;  its 
eyes  light  hazel.  Now  dear  Professor  1  have  not  found  a  new 
bird  for  my  list  this  year  and  I  want  this  bird  to  be  a  red  breasted 
Teal,  or  some  rare  stranger  as  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  call  it, 
you  are  so  clever;  you  will  laugh  at  the  description,  but  I  don't 
know  any  little  duck  whose  wife  it  should  be.  It  is  not  a  Ruddy 
Duck,  or  Buffled  Head,  Green  Wing  or  Blue  Wing,  and  not  larger 
than  either.  I  must  try  to  get  the  male,  if  I  get  time  to  go  up 
again,  which  I  hope  to  do  before  long. 

It  is  about  this  specimen  of  which  he  writes  to  Prof. 
Baird  from  Boston,  August  29  of  the  same  year,  when  he 
says:  "I  left  the  little  stranger  with  Dr.  Brewer.  If 
it  should  be  the  Tufted  Duck  it  will  be  something  new 
to  add  to  your  book  as  breeding  in  Maine  and  I  hope 
3^ou  may  describe  it  better  than  it  has  been  done  in  the 
ninth  volume  (Pacific  Railroad  Reports)  or  by  Audubon." 
On  May  1,  1875,  writing  from  New  York  to  Prof.  Baird 
Mr.  Boardman  says  :  "I  spent  most  of  the  day  yesterday 
at  Central  Park  to  see  the  boxes  of  New  Zealand  bird 
skeletons  opened.  They  were  all  mounted  and  we  set 
up  two  —  they  are  monsters.  The  legs  of  the  largest 
were  just  at  the  top  of  Elliot's  head.  You  must  see 
them.  They  have  several  duplicates,  not  quite  entire, 
which  the  Smithsonian  should  have.  I  asked  for  them 
for  you  but  got  no  answer,  only  that  they  should  not  sell 
them  to  Ward  or  any  other  speculator.  At  Philadelphia, 
where  I  spent  two  days,  I  called  on  Krider  who  left  for 
northern  Minnesota  for  a  couple  of  months'  collecting, 


180     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  same  day  I  left  for  here.  He  showed  me  his  Soli- 
tary Sandpiper's  eggs.  I  think  they  are  not  the  eggs 
of  the  Spotted  Sandpiper.  They  should  be  larger  to  be 
those,  but  instead  were  smaller  and  darker  than  those  of 
the  spotted.  He  said  he  had  some  for  me  but  I  did  not 
get  them." 

' '  I  have  not  much  to  report  so  far  this  year  in  natural 
history,"  Mr.  Boardman  writes  on  June  14,  1875,  "only 
that  I  shot  one  Cedar  bird  with  the  waxen  tips  and 
bright  yellow  instead  of  red.  I  have  been  on  the  look- 
out for  more  eggs  of  the  Ring-necked  Duck.  There  are 
four  pairs  breeding  at  Kendrick's  lake  but  I  cannot  as 
yet  find  the  eggs.  I  was  also  told  of  some  large  Plovers 
breeding  at  St.  Andrews  island  and  engaged  a  man  to 
try  and  find  the  eggs,  also  to  be  sure  and  get  the  birds. 
He  sent  me  a  nice  pair  of  Black-bellied  Plovers  which 
looked  as  if  killed  with  a  club.  The  female  had  laid 
but  I  have  not  heard  whether  the  eggs  were  found.  I 
have  never  known  this  bird  to  breed  with  us  although 
Wilson  and  Audubon  say  some  breed  in  the  United 
States."  Writing  from  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  December  30, 
1875,  he  writes :  "When  in  Boston  I  heard  of  a  Black 
Robin  taken  at  Plymouth.  I  saw  two  persons  who  saw 
the  bird  in  a  cage.  I  at  once  wrote  to  Mr.  Joyce,  a 
bird  shooter,  who  does  considerable  shooting  winters  and 
enclose  his  letter.  I  tried  to  follow  this  Mr.  Baldwin, 
the  owner  of  the  bird,  to  see  what  became  of  it,  but 
could  not  find  where  he  went  from  Plymouth.  Dr. 
Coues  wanted  me  to  make  a  record  of  any  small  birds  I 
could  hear  about  in  black  plumage." 

Notes  found  in  letters  of  1878  are :  June  21 :  "I  got  a 
crow  with  a  very  long,  slender  beak,  fully  three-fourths  of 


CORRESPONDENCE  181 

an  inch  longer  than  usual.  The  boys  reported  a  crow  hav- 
ing quite  a  musical  note  —  nothing  like  the  old-fashioned 
croak  —  but  a  neat  trumpet  sound.  After  getting  it  I 
concluded  the  different  note  was  caused  by  its  beak  in 
some  way  being  of  such  an  odd  length.  I  have  him  now, 
mounted."  July  27:  "I  found  a  queer  looking  eel  at 
a  fisherman's  at  Calais  a  short  time  ago,  caught  in  the 
river  near  the  ledge.  Not  having  any  good  reference 
book  on  fish  I  do  not  know  its  name  or  if  it  is  worth  send- 
ing to  you.  It  may  be  what  is  called  the  American 
Conger  Eel,  Auguilla  oceanica,  De  Kay.  It  has  a  queer 
head  and  in  color  is  very  prettily  spotted ;  colors  very 
bright  and  yellowish  ;  size  about  the  same  as  the  com- 
mon eel.  I  put  it  in  alcohol  and  will  send  it  if  you  can- 
not make  it  out  from  what  I  have  said.  It  may  be  com- 
mon but  I  have  never  happened  to  see  one  like  it." 
August  11 :  "  For  the  last  two  weeks  the  river  and  bay 
have  been  full  of  little  Gulls.  I  have  had  lots  of  them 
killed  but  not  one  is  Sabine  ;  perhaps  they  do  not  come 
along  so  early  in  the  season.  I  will  have  some  of  my 
gunners  looking  after  the  Ross  Gull  this  winter." 

"  I  have  been  at  work  in  bad  weather  this  winter," 
Mr.  Boardman  writes  on  January  22,  1879,  "  in  the  bird 
house —  the  first  real  clearing  out  for  several  years.  I 
sent  your  big  box  away  and  put  up  parts  of  it  so  long 
ago  I  hardly  know  what  is  in  the  smaller  boxes  in  it — 
but  they  are  bird  skins,  eggs,  etc.  Have  Mr.  Ridgway 
examine  the  large  white  Goose  that  was  shot  flying  with 
Canada  Geese  at  Mace's  bay  near  Point  L,epreaux. 
I  heard  about  it  and  sent  to  St.  John  for  the  bird,  think- 
ing it  must  be  an  albino,  but  conclude  it  must  be  a 
tame  white  goose  that  went  away  with  the  wild  birds. 


182    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Also  look  at  the  long-beaked  Crow  that  made  such  a 
singular  note."  With  this  letter  is  a  note  asking  Mr. 
Ridgway  to  ascertain  the  contents  of  the  boxes  that  the 
gift  may  be  properly  entered.  Mr.  Ridgway's  report  is: 
Six  mounted  specimens ;  nineteen  skins ;  eighteen  eggs ; 
one  skin  of  fish  from  Florida  and  one  Corvus  americanus 
with  malformed  bill.  April  26,  1879:  "I  was  out  in 
the  pasture  this  week  and  found  the  snow  quite  deep. 
Saw  a  common  striped  snake  sunning  himself  on  the 
snow.  It  was  very  active  and  I  ran  it  over  the  snow  for 
some  distance,  when  it  went  into  a  brook  and  after  a 
moment  or  two  went  under  the  water  and  remained 
there  apparently  disgusted  with  the  looks  of  things  this 
time  of  year.  Is  it  common  for  snakes  to  be  out  on 
snowshoes  ?  ' '  September  8,  1879,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  : 
' '  We  have  had  a  great  flight  of  new  birds  migrating  of 
late  —  a  large  flock  of  Razor-billed  Shearwaters,  seven  of 
which  were  killed ;  also  a  black  Tern,  new  to  me  and  a 
very  pretty  White  Heron.  I  also  had  a  Black  Vulture 
sent  me  and  heard  of  a  Turkey  Buzzard  having  been 
killed  at  Grand  Manan,  but  I  do  not  know  the  species. 
The  laughing  gulls  have  been  very  numerous  about  the 
islands  of  late,  most  of  them  young  ones."  In  a  letter 
written  September  16,  1879,  he  says : 

I  noticed  what  you  say  about  sending  the  skins  of  the  Black 
Tern  to  Mr.  Ridgway  for  identification.  I  don't  think  there  is 
any  trouble  in  making  them  out  as  they  were  all  three  old  birds, 
one  in  full  dark  plumage,  two  in  change,  the  white  feathers  all 
coming  through  about  the  lower  parts ;  but  I  had  another  bird 
sent  me  I  could  not  make  out,  a  new  bird  to  me ;  it  may  be  a 
Gull-billed  Tern  as  its  bill  was  more  like  a  Gull's,  tail  forked  and 
long  wings  like  a  Tern.  None  of  my  books  described  it  so  I  could 
not  be  certain.    I  sent  the  skin  to  Mr.  Ridgway  to  name  about  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  183 

time  I  wrote  you,  but  have  not  heard  from  him.    The  bird  was 
about  the  size  of  Sabine's  Gull. 

I  had  the  tail  of  a  very  large  Thresher  Shark  sent  me  a  few 
days  ago,  and  heard  of  a  very  large  shark  being  stranded  at  Campo- 
bello;  sent  down  word  to  know  about  it  and  heard  it  was  a  Bask- 
ing Shark,  thirty  feet  long  and  as  big  around  as  a  small  schooner, 
so  kuew  it  was  too  large  to  send  you  in  a  can  of  alcohol. 

"  I  have  heard  from  Mr.  Ridgway,"  writes  Mr.  Board- 
man  on  September  26,  1879,  "and  he  says  the  skin  I 
sent  was  Gull-billed  Tern  as  I  expected.  It  makes  a 
bird  new  to  my  list.  I  had  a  White  Heron  sent  me  last 
week  that  was  killed  at  Grand  Manan  and  yesterday  I 
mounted  a  Black  Guillemot  in  change  of  plumage  — 
white  and  black.  I  also  mounted  a  Coot  which  is  quite 
rare  with  us." 

During  the  year  1880  Mr.  Boardman  wrote  most 
interesting  letters,  extracts  from  some  of  which  are  repro- 
duced. February  2  :  "  Since  I  wrote  you  I  have  had 
some  skins  sent  me  from  Indian  Island,  near  Eastport, 
among  which  was  that  of  a  Stonechat  shot  August  25.  I 
have  heard  of  its  being  taken  before  but  never  got  one, 
this  making  four  birds  new  to  my  list  last  fall,  viz : 
Little  Black  Tern,  Marsh  or  Gull-billed  Tern,  the  Razor- 
billed  Shearwater  and  Stonechat."  November  3:  "I 
secured  a  nice  specimen  of  Golden  Eagle  on  the  meadows 
at  Milltown,  week  before  last.  I  was  out  snipe  shooting 
when  a  big  Blue  Heron  rose  and  flew  a  short  distance, 
then  dropped  as  if  it  had  been  shot.  In  a  moment  the 
eagle  came  like  a  meteor,  struck  the  heron  so  as  to  upset 
both  birds  and  in  the  excitement  I  got  the  eagle  with 
number  six  shot.  They  are  very  rare  with  us.  I  never 
got  but  one  before  this.  I  also  got  a  couple  of  little 
Yellow  Rails  and  heard  of  one  having  been  killed  at  the 


184    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Grand  Manan  lighthouse."  November  22  :  "I  had  last 
week  a  very  large  Raven  —  twenty-seven  and  one-half 
inches  long  and  four  pounds  in  weight.  I  never  had  so 
heavy  a  one.  I  have  only  heard  of  one  Snowy  Owl  being 
seen.  I  send  you  a  little  fish  which  Mr.  Wilson  got  for 
us  as  he  thought  it  a  strange  fish.  I  do  not  care  to  say 
what  I  think  it  is  until  I  hear  from  you  as  G.  A.  B.  is 
not  a  very  good  authority  on  fish  and  I  want  to  get  Mr. 
Wilson  interested  in  saving  anything  strange  so  I  can 
send  it  to  you  for  identification."  December  3  :  "I  am 
very  glad  I  sent  you  a  Down  East  bluefish.  I  did  not 
suppose  they  ever  came  so  far  east  as  this  to  breed. 
That,  with  the  Transparent  Flounder,  will  make  two  new 
eastern  fish  or  fish  not  before  recorded  so  far  east.  I 
hope  when  your  new  building  is  completed  you  may 
have  money  enough  left,  or  appropriated  anew,  to  have 
a  good  nice  set  of  the  best  southern  birds  well  put  up. 
Many  of  them  are  very  showy,  such  as  the  White  Egrets, 
Ibis,  Swallow-tailed  Hawks,  etc.  You  have  all  of  them 
now  but  they  are  not  a  credit  to  a  National  Museum." 

July  9,  1882,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  :  "I  want  you  to 
name  a  hawk  for  me  as  I  have  had  one  sent  in  that  I 
cannot  make  out.  I  have  it  mounted.  It  is  a  small 
hawk  and  not  like  any  we  find  this  way.  I  have  none 
in  my  collection  that  I  can  make  it  agree  with.  It  is 
about  the  size  of  the  South  American  Hawk  which  I  got 
in  Florida  winter  before  last  —  not  quite  as  large  and  not 
dark  on  the  back.  Its  back  looks  like  that  of  Cooper's 
Hawk.  Head  very  light  streaked  with  dark  ;  throat  and 
whole  under  parts  white  ;  sides  streaked  with  dark  ;  feet 
and  bill  look  more  like  a  broad- winged  ;  tail  banded,  but 
bands  much  narrower  than  those  of  the  broad-winged 
or  Cooper's." 


CORRESPONDENCE  185 

On  August  30,  1883,  lie  says :  "  We  are  getting  our 
house  at  Calais  in  order  to  go  housekeeping  again  next 
season  if  all  is  well.  We  shall  make  our  future  home 
here  and  visit  west  or  go  south  as  we  like.  Mrs.  B. 
would  prefer  to  live  in  Minneapolis  with  the  children, 
but  I  prefer  the  east.  We  hope  to  go  south  in  the  winter 
if  Mrs.  Boardman  is  strong  enough  for  the  trip." 

In  the  winter  of  1884  Mr.  Boardman  was  in  Florida 
and  wrote  from  Jacksonville  under  date  of  February  16  : 
"  I  got  a  funny  looking  owl  yesterday.  The  man  says 
it  is  a  Ground  Owl ;  probably  one  of  the  Burrowing  Owls, 
but  it  does  not  look  the  color  of  those  I  have  seen. 
Have  you  the  eggs  of  the  Burrowing  Owl  from  Florida  ? 
But  there  are  so  many  cheats  in  such  things  you  are 
never  sure  of  what  you  have  unless  you  get  them  your- 
self. I  have  seen  three  Everglade  Kites  shot  near  here 
of  late  —  something  new  for  this  neighborhood."  Writ- 
ing from  Calais  under  date  of  May  2,  1885,  he  says  : 

I  started  a  letter  to  you  when  I  saw  the  report  in  the  papers 
you  was  to  leave  Washington  but  before  I  sent  it  I  saw  the 
report  corrected  and  I  will  tell  you  one  of  the  items  in  it,  was, 
"  You  will  now  have  more  leisure  so  you  can  take  Mrs.  Baird 
and  Lucy  and  come  down  and  see  us.*"  I  want  you  to  see  our 
new  place  in  Calais,  and  the  way  I  have  fixed  my  new  museum. 
I  put  on  another  story ;  have  a  gallery  around  the  second  story 
and  have  all  the  light  from  above.  It  never  looked  half  so  well 
and  at  Calais  I  have  so  many  more  visitors.  The  little  plaster 
cast  of  trout  makes  quite  a  show  as  our  people  have  never  seen 
any  such.  I  wish  you  could  give  the  museum  another,  some  salt 
water  fish  like  a  mackerel  or  any  that  you  have  duplicates  of.  I 
have  not  much  that  is  fish,  and  as  my  museum  is  all  the  one 
down  east,  want  it  a  good  one,  and  while  I  am  begging,  should 
like  one  of  those  little  Ross  Gull  skins. 


186    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

All  through  the  letters  of  these  two  friends  are  not 
only  repeated  expressions  of  the  deepest  friendship  and 
closest  personal  interest,  but  on  Mr.  Boardman's  part 
he  is  always  looking  out  for  ways  to  please  his  friend, 
becoming  interested  in  what  he  is  interested  in,  planning 
how  he  can  get  things  for  the  Smithsonian  and  always 
making  inquiries  about  the  scientific  workers,  what  they 
are  doing  and  what  they  are  getting  for  the  Institution. 
The  personal  allusions  are  always  interesting.  Writing 
to  Prof.  Baird  from  Boston,  May  28,  1869,  Mr.  Boardman 
says  :  ' '  The  box  of  plants  came  to  hand  all  right  before 
I  left  and  were  in  very  good  order.  Mrs.  Boardman  sent 
for  Dr.  Todd  to  help  unpack  them  and  she  divided  them 
with  him.  The  ferns  were  first-rate  and  Mrs.  Boardman 
wishes  me  to  thank  you  for  a  box  of  the  finest  plants  she 
ever  received  from  Washington."  Writing  August  26, 
1869,  he  says  :  "  Thanks  for  Mrs.  Baird's  letter  of  yes- 
terday ;  glad  to  hear  you  are  home  again  all  right  and 
had  a  good  time.  I  was  thinking  of  you  yesterday  in 
the  blow  and  thought  Mrs.  Baird  better  have  a  little 
extra  insurance  upon  you  if  you  were  at  Grand  Manan. 
I  note  what  you  say  about  future  work  and  think  you 
had  better  all  come  up  Monday.  Then  we  will  see  what  is 
best  to  be  done."  Prof.  Baird  had  written  to  Mr.  Board- 
man  about  a  wash  or  preparation  to  apply  to  the  hands 
and  face  for  preventing  mosquito  bites  and  Mr.  Board- 
man  says  it  will  no  doubt  be  a  great  thing.  "  Get  the 
Smithsonian, ' '  he  writes,  "  to  go  into  its  manufacture.  If 
you  cannot  get  the  large  hall  for  the  purpose  get  the 
capital  and  fit  up  that.  It  is  time  those  political  chaps 
were  sent  home.  I  can't  see  any  good  they  do  ;  most  of 
them  would  be  better  employed  at  home  making  shoes, 


CORRESPONDENCE  187 

and  can  there  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  great  mosquito 
poison  manufacturing  company.  I  think  I  should  like 
one  thousand  shares  of  the  stock."  "I  have  been  out 
twice  this  week,"  he  writes  July  14,  1870,  "but  each 
time  was  driven  home  by  showers.  I  however  got,  each 
time,  some  Ducks  and  Woodcock  ;  four  Ducks  one  time. 
I  think  you  had  better  let  Woods  Holl  slide  and  come 
down  bird  shooting  and  shell-heap  hunting."  In  one 
letter  he  writes  that  he  is  glad  Mrs.  Baird  was  pleased 
with  the  raspberries  which  are  plenty  and  he  would  send 
them  oftener  if  he  could  only  get  the  boys  to  pick  them. 
In  another  letter  he  writes  :  "I  was  expecting  to  go  to 
Kendrick  lake  this  afternoon  to  get  some  of  those  young 
Grebes,  but  Mrs.  Boardman  is  to  have  President  Harris 
and  a  lot  of  company  to  tea  and  she  is  afraid  I  shall  not 
be  back  in  time  or  may  tear  my  pants  and  besides,  she 
says  Saturday  is  no  time  to  have  dead  birds  about  and 
that  I  shall  not  go  —  so  for  the  love  of  woman  I  shall 
have  no  chick  Grebes  this  week."  He  writes  about 
Prof.  Baird  having  left  Eastport  when  he  was  there  in 
the  late  summer  of  1869,  without  having  come  up  to 
Milltown  to  say  good  by,  adding  :  "I  was  almost  sure 
something  awful  would  happen  to  3'ou  for  it.  You  may 
think  yourself  very  fortunate  you  were  not  all  down  to 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean  ;  I  feel  thankful  that  old  Neptune 
was  so  easy  as  to  let  you  off  with  only  a  long  swell.  I 
hope  you  have  been  forgiven  for  the  way  you  left.  You 
must  all  be  sure  to  come  back  to  Georgie's  wedding  as 
we  are  to  have  a  gay  old  time."  In  July,  1870  he  writes  : 
"  I  have  hardly  skinned  a  bird  since  I  came  from  Florida 
—  instead  of  mounting  them  I  have  taken  to  eating  them. 
I   think  Woodcock  and  Snipe   are  best  broiled,   Duck 


188    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

roasted."  In  one  letter  written  in  July,  Mr.  Boardman 
says  :  "I  see  by  the  papers  you  have  been  having  very 
warm  weather  and  last  Sunday  read  of  a  severe  thunder 
shower  at  Gloucester.  Georgie  is  like  Lucy,  very  much 
afraid  of  thunder  and  she  was  having  lots  of  sympathy 
for  Lucy." 

During  the  years  of  1868  to  1872  Prof.  Baird  had  been 
greatly  interested  in  examining  the  shell  heaps  along  the 
Eastern  Maine  coast  for  Indian  relics.  At  first  Mr. 
Boardman  used  to  write  him  they  were  "a  humbug," 
while  on  one  occasion  when  Prof.  Baird  was  planning  to 
go  up  from  Eastport  and  spend  some  time  in  digging,  he 
said  :  "I  don't  believe  the  few  old  bones  you  will  get 
are  worth  the  trouble.  I  think  we  had  better  go  shoot- 
ing and  get  something  good  to  eat."  Later,  however,  in 
his  desire  to  aid  Prof.  Baird's  researches,  he  gave  much 
attention  to  these  shell  heaps,  saying,  in  one  letter,  very 
frankly,  "  Since  last  summer  they  have  more  interest  to 
me." 

One  day  Dan,  one  of  Mr.  Boardman's  workmen 
came  from  up  river  bringing  one  gouge,  one  chisel,  two 
sinkers,  a  whetstone,  a  few  other  stones  and  some  bones. 
He  was  gone  four  days,  "  which  comes  to  $10.00,"  writes 
Mr.  Boardman,  "  but  I  do  not  know  the  value  of  such 
things  in  money."  Then  he  writes  that  he  has  found 
' '  some  queer  stone  things  in  a  mound  over  at  St. 
George."  Again  that  he  has  "  found  out  by  one  of  our 
pilots  of  a  very  big  shell  heap  about  three  miles  below 
the  one  we  dug  into  at  Simpson's  last  year  and  five  times 
as  large.  I  thought  of  going  down  but  then  concluded 
you  had  better  come  up  (Prof.  Baird  was  at  Eastport) 
and  make  the  new  and  great  discoveries  yourself.    The 


CORRESPONDENCE  189 

pilot  says  he  will  have  a  look  at  Grand  Manan  as  he 
knows  of  a  heap  on  the  point  near  Head  Harbor  light 
about  ten  miles  east  of  Eastport  where  you  can  easily  go 
from  Eastport  any  pleasant  day."  Prof.  Bailey  of  St. 
John  and  Prof.  T.  Sterry  Hunt  of  Montreal  visited  Mr. 
Boardman  in  August,  1869  and  as  President  Harris  of 
Bowdoin  College  was  then  at  Mr.  Boardman 's,  Dr.  Todd 
took  them  out  to  see  the  Oak  Bay  shell  heap,  as  they 
had  never  seen  one  and  Mr.  Boardman  could  not  go. 
Prof.  Baird  was  also  going  to  Grand  Manan  to  visit  the 
heaps  at  Lepreaux,  Mr.  Boardman  writing:  "  I  am  so 
far  away  I  cannot  always  get  down  in  season  for  good 
weather  so  you  had  better  not  depend  upon  me  as  Cheney 
will  show  you  all  the  places."  Again  he  writes  :  "  The 
day  Dr.  Todd  was  down  to  the  heaps  with  President 
Harris  they  found  a  large  rib  bone  of  some  animal  very 
much  larger  than  the  largest  ox  or  moose.  I  will  bring 
it  down  Monday  and  perhaps  you  can  tell  what  creature 
formerly  used  it.  Dr.  Todd  thinks  the  bay  shell  heap 
would  pay  to  dig  all  up — we  will  see  about  that,  how- 
ever, when  we  cannot  find  any  new  ones  to  dig  that  are 
more  interesting."  Finally,  regarding  these  shell  heaps 
Mr.  Boardman  writes  : 

I  went  to  St.  Andrews  last  week  by  land.  I  called  to  see 
Mrs.  Simpson.  Mr.  Taylor  was  with  me  and  we  went  down  to 
see  the  old  shell  heap  as  I  had  heard  nothing  from  it  since  the 
great  October  tide  and  gale.  It  was  badly  washed  away.  I  think 
nearly  ten  feet  must  have  been  carried  away  since  the  first  time 
we  saw  it.  It  is  all  away  now  up  to  a  little  above  the  fence. 
There  was  so  much  drift  stuff  all  about  that  Mr.  Simpson  could 
find  nothing  of  any  account.  He  did,  however,  find  one  bone 
with  a  hole  in  the  middle,  sharp  at  each  end  and  about  five  inches 
long,  probably  used  for  a  needle,  and  also  one  or  two  stones  not 


190     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

amounting  to  much.  I  will  try  to  go  down  when  I  have  time  and 
give  the  beach  a  good  overhauling.  I  am  glad  you  came  when 
you  did  to  see  the  heaps  for  it  will  not  be  very  long  before  most 
of  them  will  be  washed  away.  The  gales  last  fall  probably 
destroyed  dozens  of  them  about  the  coast.  But  if  you  will  go  to 
Florida  with  me  next  winter  we  will  go  shell  heap  digging  all 
winter  as  there  are  plenty  of  them  there. 

Mr.  Boardman's  letters  are  full  of  interesting  personal 
allusions  showing  his  interest  in  people.  Writing  January 
3,  1869,  he  says:  "  I  have  often  thought  of  your  sick 
friend  at  Beverly,  I  think  his  name  was  Swan.  Did  you 
ever  hear  from  him  after  his  arrival  in  Europe  ?' '  October 
25  of  the  same  year:  "Write  me  if  Ridgway  is  with 
you  and  if  he  found  much  that  was  new.  Give  him  my 
kind  respects."  November  29,  writing  of  Dr.  Brewer 
he  says:  "  I  have  no  doubt  Dr.  Brewer  and  family  will 
find  Washington  much  more  pleasant  when  Congress  is 
in  session  and  know  they  will  have  a  fine  time.  The 
doctor  will  be  in  clover  when  he  gets  at  the  eggs.  I 
always  like  to  look  them  over  but  I  think  I  enjoy  that 
chap's  steamed  oysters,  down  on  the  avenue,  fully  as 
much  —  better  still  your  splendid  library. ' '  After  return- 
ing from  Boston  in  November,  1872,  where  he  went  to 
witness  the  ruins  of  the  great  fire  he  writes:  "You 
have  heard  by  the  papers  all  the  particulars.  Dr.  Brewer 
looks  as  smiling  as  though  he  had  found  some  new  egg. 
Their  stock  was  all  burned,  not  a  thing  was  got  out. 
Many  of  our  friends  lost  all."  Writing  from  Jackson- 
ville, April  12,  1875,  he  says  :  "I  have  given  Dr.  Henry 
Foster,  owner  of  the  great  sanitorium  at  Clifton  Springs, 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  you.  He  owns  a  splendid 
establishment  up  at  Lake  Jessup,  twenty-five  miles  above 
Enterprise.    He  is  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  met  in 


CORRESPONDENCE  191 

Florida  and  I  want  you  to  know  him.  If  you  ever  get 
time  to  come  to  Florida  he  wants  you  to  visit  him  ;  he  is 
away  in  the  woods  where  people  cannot  find  him.  He 
built  the  little  steam  yacht  Clifton,  which  I  was  in  several 
winters.  He  expects  to  be  in  Washington  next  Sunday. 
Mrs.  Foster  is  a  sister  to  Mr.  Edwards,  the  butterfly  man 
and  a  very  fine  lady."  November  24,  1878  :  "  When 
you  wrote  last  you  was  about  sending  a  man  to  Georges 
to  collect  sea  birds  and  other  natural  history  specimens. 
What  did  he  get  that  was  new  or  interesting  ?"  February 
6,  1879:  "When  I  left  Washington  last  April  Prof. 
Glover  was  quite  ill.  I  have  never  heard  from  him  since. 
Did  he  recover?" 

"  I  have  not  written  you,"  says  Mr.  Boardman  in  a 
letter  dated  February  2,  1880,  "since  I  heard  of  the 
death  of  Prof.  Milner.  The  last  you  wrote  me  about 
him  was  in  the  spring,  that  it  was  thought  his  trouble 
was  not  with  his  lungs.  I  asked  about  him  in  some  letters 
but  as  you  did  not  mention  him  I  supposed  he  had 
recovered  and  was  with  you  at  his  work.  I  was  very 
sorry  to  read  of  his  death.  He  was  a  very  nice  fellow. 
And  then  so  soon  to  read  of  the  death  of  our  dear  old 
friend  Dr.  Brewer.  It  was  a  great  shock  to  me.  I  had 
not  heard  of  his  being  ill  and  having  letters  from  him 
every  little  while  did  not  realize  he  might  be  sick.  I 
shall  miss  him  very  much.  He  was  such  a  home  body, 
too.  I  hardly  know  how  Mrs.  Brewer  and  Lucy  will  get 
along  without  him.  But  this  must  be  the  way  very  soon 
with  all  of  us  old  fellows  —  our  time  will  soon  be  up." 

Writing  in  reference  to  the  Fisheries  Exhibition  in 
London  in  1880,  he  says  under  date  of  April  5  of  that 
year:     "I    expect    you    were    very   busy  getting   your 


192    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

exhibition  specimens  away  and  expect  before  this  you 
have  heard  of  the  safe  arrival  of  Prof  Goode.  I  feel  quite 
an  interest  in  how  the  show  will  take  on  the  other  side. 
If  we  do  not  get  a  good  account  on  this  side  from  the 
newspapers  you  must  write  me  about  it,  or,  better  still, 
come  down  and  tell  us  all  about  it.  It  is  now  our  turn 
to  have  the  fish  commission  down  this  way.  Province- 
town,  Gloucester  and  Woods  Holl  must  be  about  worked 
out  and  I  know  there  must  be  some  new  fish  in  Eastport 
waters  that  require  looking  after.  *  *  *  Do  you  ever 
hear  anything  from  Henry  E.  Dresser  ?  Did  he  ever 
finish  his  birds  of  Europe  ?  He  sent  me  thirty-six  num- 
bers and  I  have  lately  written  him  but  as  yet  get  no 
answer.  I  should  be  pleased  to  hear  of  his  prosperity 
and  that  the  book  was  finished  and  made  to  pay.  You 
wrote  me  last  year  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  the 
Water  Birds  (Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway)  being  pub- 
lished by  the  Cambridge  people  ;  I  hope  they  may  do  so. 
Is  there  anything  new  ?  I  have  added  another  bird  to 
my  list  taken  at  Grand  Manan  —  a  Fulmar  Petrel.  I 
expect  they  are  often  about  the  fishing  grounds  only  not 
looked  after  and  hence  not  discovered." 

"  I  called  when  in  New  York,"  Mr.  Boardman  says 
in  a  letter  written  at  Boston  under  date  of  May  29,  1882, 
"  to  see  Dr.  Holden  at  the  American  Museum.  He  said 
they  wanted  a  good  taxidermist.  I  told  him  about  Mr. 
Webster  of  Rochester  ;  that  I  had  recommended  him  to 
you  and  that  I  thought  he  was  partially  engaged  to  you. 
I  hope  you  may  have  him  in  Washington  and  from  what 
I  saw  of  his  work  at  the  meeting  of  taxidermists  at  Bos- 
ton last  winter,  think  he  is  just  the  artist  for  the  National 
Museum,  who  with  Hornaday,  L,ucas  and  Marshall  would 


CORRESPONDENCE  193 

make  a  team  that  would  be  hard  to  beat  by  any  of  the 
European  museums." 

Writing  at  Milltown,  July  23,  1882,  he  says:  "I 
received  your  letter  and  think  I  should  not  have  answered 
it  so  soon  only  to  ask  about  Nelson  who,  you  say,  has 
gone  away  to  Colorado,  sick.  When  you  write  tell  me 
what  the  matter  is  with  him.  I  wish  he  had  come  this 
way  for  I  think  our  summer  climate  very  hard  to  beat. 
He  wanted  me  to  send  him  a  few  skins  of  our  eastern 
birds  from  my  duplicates.  I  sent  him  many  and  wrote 
him  but  did  not  receive  an  answer."  Again  on  Decem- 
ber 29,  of  the  same  year,  writing  from  Minneapolis,  he 
says  :  "I  have  not  been  able  to  hear  from  Mr.  Nelson. 
How  is  he  ?  Have  you  heard  anything  from  Turner? 
Let  me  hear."  In  1883,  on  March  6,  he  writes  :  "Have 
you  anything  new  from  Mr.  Nelson,  if  so  let  me  know. 
I  hope  to  hear  he  is  better." 

"  I  received  a  letter  a  few  days  ago,"  Mr.  Boardman 
writes  on  September  8,  1885,  "from  a  Mr.  Wright 
which  I  enclose.  I  have  nearly  forgotten  about  the  ring 
as  it  was  fifteen  years  ago.  It  would  be  just  like  me  to 
get  the  ring  (I  learned  that  trick  from  you)  for  the 
Smithsonian.  If  you  have  any  book  such  as  he  describes, 
please  have  it  sent  him  or  send  some  other  book.  The 
ring,  I  think,  is  in  the  large  room  at  the  Smithsonian. 
It  was  dug  from  an  Indian  mound."  And  so  the  happy 
record  goes  on  until  the  long  and  intimate  friendship, 
uninterrupted  for  a  period  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, comes  to  an  end. 


194      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Letters  from  Mr.  Boardman  to  Prof.  Baird 

Milltown,  Maine,  Jan.  4,  1865. 
Dear  Baird: 

I  received  your  last  letter  and  should  be  glad  if  I  could  give 
you  any  information  that  would  be  new  in  the  northern  distribu- 
tion of  many  common  birds.  I  have  long  been  a  close  observer  of 
the  habits  and  for  some  time  have  been  a  collector  of  birds,  and  in 
my  journeyiugs  from  Massachusetts  to  Western  Maine,  to  this 
neighborhood,  North  Eastern  Maine  and  New  Brunswick  there 
appears  to  be  a  different  fauna.  We  do  accidentally  find  many 
more  southern  birds  but  only  as  stragglers  and  in  this  neighbor- 
hood have  found  two  hundred  and  forty  species,  and  I  think  this 
is  about  the  southern  locality  for  the  breeding  in  abundance  of 
many  northern  birds,  and  too  far  north  and  east  for  the  breeding 
grounds  of  many  most  common  Massachusetts  and  Western  Maine 
birds.  Among  the  birds  that  breed  common  with  us  and  are  best 
known  are  the  little  blue  Snow  Bird,  one  of  our  most  common 
summer  birds.  The  White  Throat  Sparrow  very  common,  Yellow 
Rump  very  common,  Black  Poll  Warbler,  Hermit  Thrush,  Canada 
Jay,  Pine  Finch,  both  Bed  and  White  Cross  Bills,  Spruce  Par- 
tridge, Winter  Wren,  Black  Back  Three-toed  Woodpecker,  Yellow- 
bellied  Woodpecker,  Yellow  Red  Poll  very  common,  as  are  the 
most  of  the  above  all  summer.  The  Duck  Hawk,  Pigeon  Hawk 
and  Goshawk  are  not  at  all  uncommon.  I  found  the  Phalarope 
breeding  in  two  places  last  season ;  Blue  Wing  Teal  find  breeding 
every  year.  The  Golden  Eye  and  Sheldrake  (Mergus  Ameri- 
canus)  breed  very  common,  both  in  trees  and  are  common  with 
us  winter  and  summer,  as  does  the  Hooded  Merganser  (  ?)  breed  in 
trees  but  is  rare  in  winter.  The  Eider  Duck  breeds  common 
about  the  Islands  and  once  found  the  King  Eider  at  the  Islands 
first  of  June,  probably  breeding.  The  Gannet  and  Cormorant,  a  few 
breed;  Herring  Gull  are  abundant  all  summer  and  also  breed 
about  the  fresh  water  lakes.  The  great  Black  Back  Gull  also 
breed,  but  are  getting  rare.  I  also  find  through  the  forest  in 
summer  very  many  Warblers  and  think  many  of  them  breed  in 
about  this  latitude  but  our  forests  are  so  extensive  I  seldom  find 
the  nest.    I  forgot  to  say  the  Razor  Bill,  Puffin  and  Sea  Pigeon, 


CORRESPONDENCE  195 

Murr  ( ?)  were  with  us  all  summer,  but  uot  very  abundant.  We 
also  often  find  stragglers  from  the  north  in  Bummer,  but  are  so 
uncommon  are  hardly  worth  mentioning,  such  as  Hawk  Owl, 
Snowy  Owl,  Richardson's  owl,  etc.  The  most  of  the  birds  1  have 
mentioned  you  will  rarely  find  about  Massachusetts  or  Western 
Maine  in  summer  and  many  of  their  common  birds  we  never  see, 
and  others  very  rarely.  The  Townee  Bunting  and  Brown  Thrush 
we  never  see.  The  Meadow  Lark  only  one  specimen,  Blue  Bird 
rare,  Cooper  Hawk  and  Mottled  Owl  very  rare,  Yellow  Bill 
Cuckoo  very  rare,  House  Wren  also  rare.  Have  never  found  the 
Prairie  Warbler,  Worm  Eating  Warbler  or  Pine  Warbler,  but  I 
believe  I  wrote  you  I  found  a  nice  male  specimen  of  Prothonotary 
Warbler  two  falls  ago.  There  has  been  considerable  written 
about  the  Cliff  Swallow  migrating  south.  I  came  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  this  part  of  the  country  in  the  year  1828 ;  the  Cliff 
Swallow  was  then  very  abundant,  building  the  whole  length  the 
eaves  of  barns,  as  much  we  see  them  now,  which  was  not  the 
case  in  Massachusetts. 

I  have  written  in  considerable  hurry  without  any  method  or 
arrangement  and  if  there  is  any  idea  new  to  you  I  shall  be  well 
repaid.  I  have  for  a  long  time  been  surprised  there  should  be  in 
so  short  a  distance  as  about  one  hundred  or  two  hundred  miles  so 
great  a  change  in  the  breeding  places  of  many  hardy  and  early 
birds  as  the  Blue  Bird  and  others  of  Massachusetts  and  then  that 
we  should  have  so  many  that  do  not  breed  with  them.  I  also  find 
in  Southern  Nova  Scotia,  Massachusetts  birds  much  more  common. 
Having  been  so  busy  of  late,  I  have  not  had  time  to  attend  to  our 
favorite  pursuit,  but  hope  to  be  looking  up  something  as  soon  as  I 
go  up  to  the  logging  camp. 

Wishing  you  the  compliments  of  the  season,  I  am 
Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boaudman. 

Milltown,  6  Sept.,  18G5. 
Dear  Baiiid: 

I  have  but  just  received  your  letter  of  the  4th,  could  not  get 
it  last  night ;  Charley  waited  for  the  Eastport  mail  to  open  but 
somehow  it  did  not  get  into  the  box. 


196     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  hope  before  this  you  have  my  letter  written  Monday.  The 
stage  man  I  have  not  seen  since  Monday.  I  intended  going  to 
Calais  today  but  it  is  so  rainy  I  may  not  go  down.  Let  me  know 
which  way  you  prefer  going  and  I  will  make  the  best  trade  I  can. 
The  air  line  man  only  asked  $30,  the  Machias  man  $35  but  said  he 
would  do  it  as  low  as  any  one.  The  air  line  would  be  one  day 
shortest,  and  a  very  nice,  romantic  ride  through  the  woods,  of  45 
miles  each  day.  The  other  way  three  days  of  40  miles  each  day, 
and  the  former  air  line  way  would  see,  I  think,  plenty  of  birds 
to  shoot,  and  I  think  the  air  line  you  would  like  best,  but  if  you 
prefer  to  go  by  way  of  Machias,  I  think  I  can  get  you  taken 
along  at  about  the  same  price,  $30,  and  might  possibly  get  the  air 
line  man  to  say  $25 ;  if  the  rain  holds  up  will  go  down  to  see. 
My  cold  is  better  but  far  from  well. 

My  brother  and  nephew  I  told  you  about  up  the  river  got 
down  last  night;  shot  fifteen  ducks,  one  bear,  some  partridges 
and  othefr  game.  I  wish  we  had  gone  that  cruise;  they  took 
an  Indian  and  a  canoe,  went  up  Chepetnicook  river  and  back,  say 
the  river  was  full  of  Ducks,  Mergansers  and  Divers  of  one  kind 
and  another  all  the  way. 

Charles  goes  back  to  Brunswick  tomorrow.  I  think  he  will 
get  this  letter  to  you  before  the  mail. 

I  have  just  left  off  writing.  A  man  has  brought  me  a  Gos- 
hawk ;  it  flew  into  his  barn  after  the  hens  and  he  killed  it  with  a 
club.  They  are  our  most  destructive  Hawk,  and  will  take  hens 
from  the  doors  of  any  country  farm  house.  It  is  in  young 
plumage,  the  eyes  yellow;  the  old  birds  have  red  eyes.  This 
makes  quite  a  variety  of  Hawks  for  a  few  days  —  Red  Shouldered, 
Broad  Wiuged,  Cooper  and  Goshawk. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  your  Pacific  letters,  should  be 
much  pleased  to  read  some  of  them.  Why  not  send  up  by  Capt. 
Spring  all  you  care  to  have  me  read.  I  will  have  them  kept  safe 
until  you  come  up,  or  return  them  next  day,  and  should  like  very 
much  to  read  some  of  the  letters  from  your  Hudson  Bay  Co. 
correspondent  you  was  telling  me  about.  There  is  no  reading  I 
like  so  well.  I  should  like  to  have  you  look  over  Prof.  Hinds' 
bird  list  for  birds  you  think  were  never  found  in  the  province,  or 
lend  me  the  list  as  I  want  to  write  the  man  to  know  how  he  came 


CORRESPONDENCE  197 

to  beat  me  in  finding  rare  tilings,  and  perhaps  I  can  get  some  of 
his  specimens.  Charley  has  just  come  from  Mr.  Spaulding's  who 
says  he  will  take  you  (his  route  is  by  way  of  Machias)  for  thirty 
dollars.  It  is  so  damp  T  have  not  been  out  much  to-day.  I  am 
sorry  you  have  to  go  so  soon.  I  expected  to  have  a  good  cruise 
somewhere  but  it  doesn't  look  much  like  it  now.  You  must  come 
another  year.  Let  me  know  the  day  you  come  up. 
Yours  truly, 

BOARDMAN. 

Jacksonville,  Florida,  February  1,  1868. 
Dear  Baird: 

I  have  been  thinking  of  writing  you  for  a  day  or  two,  but 
there  are  so  many  new  things  to  look  at  I  have  not  thought  of 
hardly  writing  home. 

After  I  left  your  house  we  had  a  good  passage  to  Richmond 
where  I  spent  one  day,  then  went  to  Wilmington,  made  a  short 
visit.  Next  day  went  to  Charleston,  where  I  spent  nearly  a  week, 
arrived  here  day  before  yesterday.  The  weather  when  in  Charles- 
ton was  very  fine.  I  had  a  nice  visit.  I  called  to  see  Dr.  Back- 
man  ;  he  was  very  glad  to  meet  me,  full  of  talk  about  old  collecting 
times.  He  is  seventy-eight  years  old,  but  quite  active  mentally. 
He  has  lost  the  use  of  one  of  his  arms.  His  library  and  valuables 
were  taken  for  safe  keeping  to  Columbia,  to  his  son's  house,  but 
when  Sherman's  men  burned  the  place  all  his  valuables  were 
burned,  which  if  they  had  been  left  at  Charleston  would  have 
been  safe;  all  his  specimens  were  destroyed.  The  soldiers  nearly 
killed  him  because  he  would  not  tell  them  where  the  plate  of  the 
officer  with  whom  he  boarded  was  buried.  He  admits  he  was  a 
little  saucy  to  them.  He  was  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  sends 
his  regards  to  you  and  Mr.  Brewer.  He  had  very  many  questions 
to  ask  about  ornithology  as  he  had  hardly  looked  at  a  book  or 
bird  for  eight  years.  Since  I  have  arrived  here  we  have  had  a 
cold  norther.  I  have  not  had  my  gun  out;  the  place  is  so  full  I 
can  hardly  get  a  room,  and  if  I  do  not  do  better  shall  go  to  St. 
Augustine  to-morrow,  and  try  to  get  a  chance  down  the  coast. 
There  are  no  vessels  here  and  the  collector,  Mr.  Moody,  says  he 
does  not  think  there  are  any  vessels  below  Fernandiua  belonging  to 


198    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  service,  but  St.  Augustine  is  the  better  place  to  get  down  the 
coast. 

I  see  many  birds  new  to  me  such  as  Cardinals,  small  Crows, 
Buzzards,  different  kinds  of  Gulls,  Terns.  Blue  Jays  are  quite 
common,  but  have  not  seen  one  Florida  Jay.  I  see  many  of  our 
summer  birds,  Robins,  Grackles,  Red  Poll  Warblers,  Sparrows, 
etc.,  etc.  I  saw  in  Carolina  very  large  flocks  of  Doves,  Meadow 
Larks  and  Blackbirds.  I  have  agreed  for  some  Pouched  Rats  if 
the  boys  can  get  them,  also  the  Land  Turtle.  The  negroes  eat  the 
latter.  I  have  seen  ice  two  mornings  since  I  have  been  here,  the 
first  of  the  season.  The  orange  trees  are  full,  and  some  few  in 
blossom.  I  find  the  express  of  a  small  box  of  oranges  to  New 
York  will  cost  three  dollars.     Adams  &  Co.  does  not  come  here. 

With  many  thanks  for  your  kind  attention  when  I  was  in 
Washington,  hoping  you,  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy  are  all  well,  I  am 
Very  truly  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Jacksonville,  13  March,  1868. 
Dear  Baird  : 

Since  I  wrote  you  at  G.  C.  Springs  I  have  made  up  a  box  of 
about  fifty  birds  and  sent  by  express.  I  could  not  get  them 
along  with  my  baggage  as  I  shall  return  by  land.  There  are  three 
Salamander  skins,  by  the  boys,  not  done  very  nicely.  I  sent 
another  box  in  a  trunk  to  Boston  and  can  send  back  by 
Adams  &  Co.  They  were  collected  at  St.  Augustine.  My  collection 
made  here  I  can't  find,  they  were  left  with  a  friend  until  my 
return ;  he  has  goue  up  river,  may  get  them  before  I  leave.  I 
hope  you  may  find  some  you  may  want.  I  had  no  arsenic  to 
prepare  lai"ge  birds,  and  all  the  larger  birds  I  did  not  skin.  I  did 
not  shoot  anything  very  rare;  there  were  some  good  White 
Herons  and  a  few  Hawks,  nothing  very  rare.  I  shall  probably 
leave  for  Savannah  Tuesday  next,  from  there  go  to  Augusta, 
Aiken,  and  so  along  to  Norfolk,  and  be  in  Baltimore  the  last  of 
the  month.  Very  few  birds  have  begun  to  breed  except  the  larger, 
as  Fish  Hawks,  Eagles,  etc.,  etc. 

I  like  this  climate  very  much ;  think  I  shall  try  to  spend  my 
winters  here.  I  have  the  promise  of  some  collectors  down  at 
Indian  river,  to  get  and  send  you  some  eggs ;  hope  they  may  do  so. 


CORRESPONDENCE  199 

Another  winter  I  hope  to  come  prepared  to  go  to  the  head  of  the 
river  and  camp  out  and  have  a  regular  hunt.  I  have  been  at  most 
every  place  on  the  St.  Johns  river  —  enjoyed  myself  very  nicely. 
Wish  you  could  spend  a  month  or  two  visiting  this  very  interest- 
ing part  of  Uncle  Sam's  farm.  Hoping  Mrs.  Baird  is  all  well 
long  before  this  and  with  kind  regards  to  her  and  Lucy, 
I  am  very  truly  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 
P.  S.  Please  excuse  the  pencil  letter  as  I  have  no  ink.  I  could 
give  Prof.  Henry  the  standing  of  the  thermometer  at  Greencove 
Springs  every  day  since  the  1st  of  January  if  wanted.  Have  not 
had  a  rainy  day  for  three  weeks,  most  beautiful  weather,  ther- 
mometer often  up  to  S0°  in  the  shade  at  noon.  It  was  84°  at  five 
o'clock  this  afternoon. 

MiLLTOWN,  25  May,  1868. 
My  Dear  Baird  : 

I  received  your  letter  of  the  20th  May.  I  have  no  one  I  care 
about  in  the  egg  collection  and  anything  I  get  you  can  have.  The 
Goshawk's  egg  you  can  have  and  I  will  try  to  get  the  nest ;  it  was 
built  in  a  branch  of  a  birch  about  thirty  feet  up,  quite  a  large  flat 
nest,  outside  of  sticks,  inside  fine  stuff"  and  moss.  I  went  near  the 
same  place  for  another  but  found  it  only  a  Broad-wing.  I  got 
three  good  eggs.  It  was  a  very  rainy  day  and  took  me  about  all 
day  — got  well  soaked.  I  also  went  up  to  the  lake  but  it  was  so 
rainy  it  did  not  pay —  glad  to  get  home.  It  has  rained  all  the  time 
for  two  weeks ;  if  fine  I  shall  try  to  go  up  again  this  week.  I  know 
where  several  Whistlers,  Mergansers,  Wood  Ducks,  etc.,  breed  and 
I  want  to  get  them  for  you.  I  went  to  the  nests  when  up  but  it 
rained  so  hard  I  could  not  get  any  one  to  go  up ;  they  are  very 
high  and  the  trees  are  old  and  rotten.  The  Pine  Finch  eggs  and 
nest  you  can  have  and,  as  I  said  before,  any  eggs  and  nests  I  get, 
also  the  Canada  Jay's  nest  and  eggs  you  can  have  until  you  get 
more  and  then  you  can  return  them.  Brewer  wants  the  nest  and 
eggs  to  figure  or  compare  all  three  —  Goshawk,  Pine  Finch  and 
Canada  Jay  —  as  he  is  at  work  for  the  egg  book,  suppose  it  will  be 
right  to  send  to  him  for  a  time  with  instructions  to  send  to  you. 
The  Jay'6  nest  is  a  very  odd  affair.    I  shall  have  to  go  to  New 


200     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

York  the  first  of  June  or  about  that  time ;  will  send  them  to  you 
or  leave  them  with  him  as  you  say.  I  will  also  send  what  Newton 
says  is  Pine  Grosbeak ;  they  were  sent  to  me  for  that  by  young 
Dresser,  brother  to  Henry  E.  of  London.  I  wrote  H.  E.  about  the 
Steller  Duck  egg,  told  him  to  send  to  you.  I  expected  to  do  a 
good  thing  egging  this  Spring  but  the  weather  has  been  so  bad  I 
could  not  go  in  a  canoe  without  getting  wet  through.  Hope  this 
week  will  be  better  but  it  is  now  raining  and  I  am  writing  very 
fast  for  the  mail.  How  about  the  Pied  Duck?  What  has  become 
of  the  bird?  it  used  to  be  common;  can  it  be  possible  it  will 
become  extinct?  A  clumsy  bird  like  Great  Auk  or  Dodo  might 
get  run  out  but  a  good  diver  and  flyer  like  this  duck  should  take 
care  of  itself.  I  did  not  know  it  was  so  rare;  supposed  your 
northern  folks  would  find  it  breeding;  I  think  they  must  have 
gone  to  some  other  parts ;  you  must  look  them  up  by  your  col- 
lectors ;  they  may  be  down  to  Newfoundland. 

I  wish  you  were  here  to  go  up  to  the  lakes  fishing  this  week. 
We  would  have  a  good  time.  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  go  west  so 
soon  as  I  prefer  to  be  here  this  season. 

Kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy. 

As  ever,  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  August  22,  1868. 
My  Dear  Professor  : 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  August  20th,  sorry  you  are 
so  long  getting  away.  Was  looking  for  you  to-day.  Come  as 
soon  as  you  can,  Wednesday  or  Friday  if  possible.  I  think  it  would 
do  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy  good  to  take  a  steamboat  trip  with  you. 
Don't  talk  about  must  be  back  the  ensuing  Thursday  or  Saturday, 
but  say,  must  be  back  the  ensuing  Thursday  or  Saturday,  if  God 
(and  Geo.  A.  Boardman)  are  willing.  I  notice  what  you  say 
about  digging  old  clams.  There  is  a  large  lot  of  old  heaps  hear 
St.  Andrews.  I  told  Dr.  Adams  about  digging  into  them,  as  he 
has  been  for  two  weeks  attending  court  there.  I  do  not  know 
what  has  been  found.  There  may  be  more  of  such  shell  heaps 
about  the  islands.  I  think  if  you  dig  them  all  over  you  will  have 
to  stay  more  than  a  week.  There  is  also  plenty  of  Waders  about 
and  you  can  dig  the  old  clams  and  I  will  shoot  the  birds.    I  think 


CORRESPONDENCE  201 

I  should  have  a  better  time  shooting  than  digging.  I  don't  have 
much  of  a  fancy  for  digging,  but  can  get  some  one  to  do  the 
rough.  We  will  see  about  this  when  you  get  here.  I  will  inquire 
if  there  are  any  other  heaps.  My  friend,  Mr.  Osborn,  may  know 
of  others.  The  St.  Andrews  people  have  hauled  lots  of  this  heap 
away  for  manure ;  they  may  have  found  some  good  things.  If  so 
we  possibly  can  get  them. 

I  received  a  letter  a  day  or  two  ago  from  Dr.  Brewer  saying 
among  other  things,  that  another  book  (not  by  Samuels)  was 
possibly  to  come  out,  called  Birds  of  New  England,  or  a  new 
edition  of  Nuttall.     I  should  be  pleased  to  see  it. 

There  is  a  Mr.  Darling,  a  clergyman,  spending  the  summer 
here  from  Kennebunk,  whom  I  told  I  expected,  some,  a  Mr.  Swan 
from  his  place ;  says  he  knows  him  very  well,  and  that  he  is  one 
of  the  best  men  in  New  England. 

Please  excuse  the  haste  with  which  I  have  written  and 
remember  us  to  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy.  Hoping  to  see  you  very 
soon  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

G.  A.  BOARDMAN. 

P.  S.  Fred  and  Albert  were  very  sorry  you  could  not  be 
here  before  their  return  to  college.  Albert  left  yesterday ;  Fred 
leaves  next  Friday. 

Milltown,  29  October,  18G8. 
Dear  Baird: 

I  received  your  two  letters  and  the  money  for  Dan's  bill. 

Glad  to  hear  you  had  returned  to  Washington  and  got  settled 
into  your  work  again.  I  expect  you  must  have  found  some  new 
things  amoug  Dall's  collection.  If  anything  very  rare  let  me 
know. 

I  have  just  returned  from  Boston  where  all  the  family  have 
been  on  a  visit  to  see  Charley  married.  He  went  away  south  for 
a  short  cruise  and  I  do  not  know  but  he  went  as  far  as  Washing- 
ton, if  so  he  would  go  to  the  Smithsonian  and  you  would  be  likely 
to  see  him.  We  expect  him  home  Tuesday  night.  Georgie  returned 
last  night  by  way  of  Bangor,  after  a  cold,  windy  ride.  We  are 
having  very  cold  weather  for  the  season,  have  had  two  hard  snow 


202    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

storms ;  this  morning  the  thermometer  stood  18°  above.    Ice  strong 
enough  for  boys  to  skate,  something  very  rare  for  October. 

I  have  not  had  time  to  go  shooting  this  fall,  but  hope  if  we 
have  fine  weather,  to  go  away  a  few  days.  The  winter  birds  have 
got  along,  and  everything  looks  like  winter ;  our  lumbering  opera- 
tions will  soon  close. 

I  am  keeping  a  lookout  for  anything  I  can  hear  about  the 
shell  heaps.  There  have  been  several  men  here  selling  horses  from 
Prince  Edward  Island.  They  say  oysters  are  more  abundant 
than  clams  and  they  think  there  are  plenty  of  old  heaps  but  don't 
know  how  ancient  any  of  them  may  be.  I  have  heard  more  about 
the  stone  profile  found  in  the  old  mound  at  St.  George,  but  am 
afraid  we  cannot  get  it  as  it  has  been  sent  to  St.  John;  but  next 
summer  perhaps  you  may  talk  them  out  of  it,  at  any  rate  you  can 
get  the  loan  of  it,  or  perhaps  exchange.  I  had  a  very  ancient 
Indian  anchor  made  of  wood,  hooked  up  out  of  the  lake.  I  do 
not  know  as  it  would  hardly  pay  to  send,  but  is  quite  an  oddity 
and  looks  very  old. 

When  I  was  home,  I  tried  hard  to  find  some  butter  tbat  would 
answer  you,  and  have  it  sent  from  up  country  but  it  is  very  poor 
and  costs  forty  cents ;  I  have  put  it  in  the  shop,  and  am  expecting 
more.  I  shall  not  send  anything  Mrs.  B.  does  not  approve.  I 
made  a  bargain  with  our  butter  maker  for  all  he  had  or  could 
make  in  the  spring  at  thirty  cents  on  the  English  side,  but  some 
butter  speculators  came  along  and  offered  him  forty  cents  and  I 
lost  it  or  the  most  of  it.  I  will  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  a  good 
firkin  or  two.  The  duty,  twelve  cents  in  gold,  is  very  much  against 
the  English  side  butter. 

If  you  have  a  set  to  spare  of  antelope  horns,  also  a  bow  and 
arrows  such  as  the  Western  Indians  use  to  shoot  buffalo,  I  should 
like  them.  I  want  to  show  the  latter  to  our  Indians,  also  a  pair  of 
snow  shoes  that  turn  up  at  the  front.  I  think  if  our  Indians  and 
moose  hunters  would  make  them  like  the  lot  I  saw  at  the  Institu- 
tion they  would  be  much  better  than  such  as  are  used  this  way. 

With  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Baird  and  Lucy,  believe  me 
Yours  as  ever, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


CORRESPONDENCE  203 

Mii.ltown,  24  June,  1869. 
My  Dear  Professok: 

I  received  your  letter  of  the  20th  to-day,  glad  to  hear  you  are 
all  well.  Mrs.  Boardman  is  some  better  part  of  the  time.  Most  of 
the  trouble  is  with  her  head.  I  keep  her  out  ridiug  all  I  can. 
1  lave  just  been  out  to  the  cemetery ;  shot  a  new  kind  of  Pewee.  I 
will  let  you  tell  me  the  name  when  you  get  here.  If  the  short 
legged  Pewee  ever  came  here  should  call  it  that  bird,  as  it  is  not 
large  enougli  for  Olive  Sided.  There  were  two  but  I  could  not 
find  the  nest  and  had  to  be  contented  with  the  bird. 

Your  friend,  Senator  Edmunds  from  Vermont,  has  been  down 
on  his  salmon  fishing  cruise,  went  home  this  morning  perfectly 
happy.  I  could  not  leave  and  Fred  went  up  to  the  lakes  with 
him.  They  were  gone  one  week ;  had  a  very  nice  time ;  caught 
more  of  those  little  salmon  than  was  necessary  for  sport.  Caught 
two  hundred ;  some  weighed  four  pounds,  averaged  two  pounds. 
Fred  told  the  Senator  about  the  Indian  things  in  the  banks  and  he 
dug  out  a  nice  arrow  head  and  part  of  a  spear.  I  think  the  latter, 
i.  e.,  Indian  things,  were  on  your  permit,  and  the  Senator  had  no 
right  to  anything  but  the  fish.  I  believe  I  told  you  I  got  one  of 
the  lake  salmon  last  fall  that  weighed  over  ten  pounds.  I  have  it 
nicely  mounted. 

I  am  glad  you  are  getting  so  many  nice  things  from  the  other 
side ;  they  are  very  good  to  compare,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
many  of  the  European  birds  that  we  have  given  a  different  name 
are  not  much  different  from  American. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  making  Eastport  your  head- 
quarters. The  new  hotel  is  not  yet  opened,  don't  know  when 
it  will  be,  but  probably  pretty  soon.  They  have  been  so  tardy, 
not  knowing  who  will  keep  the  house,  they  have  no  boarders 
engaged.  The  air  is  very  fine  in  summer  at  Eastport,  but  the 
company  is  ten  times  better  at  Milltown,  and  much  better  dig- 
gings of  Indian  remains.  I  have  been  looking  for  a  good  boarding 
place  here,  but  cannot  find  anything  that  will  do.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  get  good  help,  but  thought  we  could  take  good  care 
of  you,  and  had  Mrs.  Boardman  been  as  well  as  usual  would  not  let 
you  have  gone  to  any  other  place,  and  at  any  rate,  must  be  with 
us  part  of  the  time,  and  will  have  plenty  of  chance  to  look  up  a 


204     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

place  and  I  can  go  to  St.  Andrews  or  Eastport  if  I  can  do  any- 
thing. St.  Andrews  is  a  very  quiet,  pleasant  place  but  don't  like 
the  company.  We  must  try  to  go  to  Grand  Manan  and  other 
places  and  hope  Mrs.  Boardman  will  be  well  enough  and  all  the 
ladies  go  over.     With  much  love  to  all. 

Yours  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  4  Aug.,  1870. 
Dear  Baird  : 

I  have  but  just  received  your  letter,  very  glad  you  are  having 
such  a  nice  time  boating  and  fishing.  I  see  by  the  papers  the 
weather  has  been  very  warm  west.  I  am  glad  you  found  a  cool 
place.  We  have  had  a  few  warm  days,  but  to-day  is  almost  cool 
enough  for  a  fire.  Mrs.  Boardman  is  very  poorly,  takes  most  of 
my  time  to  see  to  her.  I  keep  her  out  riding  all  I  can,  the  doctor 
wants  her  to  be  kept  free  from  care  and  excitement.  She  is  very 
nervous ;  last  week,  hardly  left  her  room,  but  this  week  is  better. 
I  notice  what  you  say  about  the  duck.  I  don't  know  about  the 
female  Red  Head,  the  bird  has  always  been  very  rare  with  us.  I 
don't  know  as  I  ever  saw  a  female  to  know  it,  the  male,  I  have  got 
one  or  two  of  the  gunners  but  a  long  time  ago ;  the  size  was  so 
small  I  did  not  think  of  its  being  the  female  of  the  .Ring  Neck,  as 
the  male  is  quite  a  good  sized  duck,  and  this  not  larger  than  a 
Ruddy  or  Teal.  I  have  just  been  looking  at  the  description  of  the 
female  of  the  Ruddy,  and  it  is  so  short  I  cannot  make  much  out  of 
it.  I  have  also  looked  at  Audubon's  description  and  plate,  which 
does  not  look  anything  like  this  bird,  only  the  spot  on  the  wing  is 
the  same.  Audubon  says  its  breast  is  white.  This  bird  has  a  very 
dark  ruddy,  or  chestnut  brown  breast,  and  belly  about  the  same  as 
the  Ruddy.  Audubon's  description  does  not  come  near  it,  but  he 
may  not  have  seen  it  in  breeding  plumage  if  it  changes,  and  he 
says  the  male  has  large  tufts  in  breeding  time.  Should  it  be  the 
Ring  Neck,  it  would  be  something  new  to  have  it  breeding  in 
Maine.  Frank  Todd  was  up  at  the  same  place  shooting,  and  I  told 
him  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  this  duck,  and  he  found  another 
brood  and  old  one.  The  old  one  he  missed  but  shot  one  chick 
which  was  the  same,  so  there  were  two  broods. 


CORRESPONDENCE  205 

Is  the  Km»-  Neck  a  duck  that  breeds  very  far  north?  Have 
you  the  eggs?  I  may  go  to  Boston  soon  and  will  take  the  old 
duck  and  chick,  or  if  I  do  not  go,  will  send  to  the  care  of  Dr. 
Brewer.  I  shall  try  to  go  up  again  and  see  if  I  cannot  find  the 
old  male  or  at  any  rate  get  some  good  ducks  to  eat.    Love  to  all 

the  folks. 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  Nov.  21,  1870. 
Dear  Professor  : 

I  received  your  letter  a  few  days  since.  I  wrote  you  in  my 
last  about  finding  another  black-red  Squirrel ;  since  I  have  had  a 
very  pretty  snow  white  one  with  pink  eyes,  so  if  you  have  a 
black  one,  1  don't  believe  you  have  so  pretty  a  white  one,  and  I 
hear  there  are  more  at  the  same  place  and  hope  to  get  another  for 
you. 

Since  I  wrote  I  received  a  letter  from  the  moose  man  who  says 
he  will  get  the  skeletons  this  winter  but  says  I  must  give  him 
more  than  I  offered ;  says  the  horns  sell  for  five  to  ten  dollars.  I 
tell  him  if  he  gets  good  large  ones  I  won't  mind  a  few  dollars ; 
we  may  have  to  give  him  $-40  to  $-45  for  two,  but  I  want  you  to  see 
them  before  I  pay,  as  he  might  lose  some  of  the  small  bones. 

I  suppose  the  little  duck  could  be  no  other  than  Felix  Collaus 
but  it  was  so  small  and  so  different  from  Audubon's  figure  I  was 
not  certain ;  there  were  some  at  the  shooting  party  at  Princeton 
looking  just  like  Audubon's  figure,  with  white  belly  but  all  larger 
than  the  one  I  took  in  the  summer.  I  must  try  another  spring  to 
look  up  the  streams  to  see  what  ducks  breed  in  New  England  that 
we  have  never  found ;  the  Barrow  I  think  does,  and  before  you 
finish  up  your  book  I  want  to  have  some  new  things  in  it.  You 
must  note  the  red  Phalarope  as  breeding  with  us.  Hope  Maynard 
may  find  some  good  things  down  on  the  Keys.  I  did  not  hear 
before  anything  of  Stimpson's  expedition.  He  might  find  you  a 
skeleton  of  the  Sea  Cow  along  the  coast.  I  think  I  shall  try  to  go 
down  Indian  river  this  winter  after  I  get  settled;  think  I  shall 
send  my  horse  and  carriage  down  for  Mrs.  Boardman  to  ride  about 
the  woods  —  she  and  Willie  I  think  will  go  down  with  me.  We 
shall  try  to  go  away  about  Christmas.  Wish  you  could  spend  a 
few  weeks  to  go  dowrn  and  see  the  country,  Alligators,  etc.,  etc. 
We  are  having  nice  warm  weather  for  the  season,  mills  all  going 


206    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

—  lots  winter  birds  about,  such  as  Pine  Grosbeaks,  some  pretty 
Chatterers  down  in  Mr.  Todd's  garden;  he  doesn't  want  me  to 
shoot  the  Wax  Wings.    Love  to  all  your  folks. 
As  ever  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  19  January,  1875. 
My  Dear  Professor  : 

1  received  your  letter  a  few  days  since ;  sorry  the  postal  car 
got  burned.  Don't  think  of  much  news  to  write,  very  cold 
weather  is  no  news  for  us.  We  have  had  a  very  long  cold  snap, 
thermometer  sometimes  25  below  zero  and  hardly  get  up  to  zero 
all  day,  wind  blowing  a  gale  most  all  the  time. 

This  would  be  splendid  weather  for  some  of  you  people  writ- 
ing up  water  birds  for  the  other  volumes.  Such  winters  as  this 
should  bring  down  lots  of  new  Arctic  birds,  such  as  Gulls,  Divers, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  a  splendid  place  would  be  to  go  to  the  Wolves  Island, 
up  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  out  on  some  of  the  rocks ;  it  would  be  a 
very  bad  place  for  boats,  but  a  fellow  might  swim  after  the  birds, 
if  he  shot  any  very  rare  ones,  and  he  could  skin  them  after  he  got 
home  as  they  would  not  spoil,  this  weather,  in  two  days.  Joking 
aside,  I  believe  for  some  good  naturalist  to  go  to  such  a  place  as 
the  Wolves,  and  stop  with  a  Mr.  Paul,  who  lives  there,  would 
get  more  rare  things  than  he  would  at  most  any  other  place. 
Many  winter  birds  come  no  further  than  this.  No  one  shoots  this 
time  of  year,  or  only  to  shoot  a  duck  and  many  good  birds  are 
overlooked ;  no  collectors  go  in  winter.  I  was  ten  years  trying 
to  teach  Cheney,  but  had  to  give  it  up.  Audubon,  Wilson,  Nuttall, 
etc.,  etc.,  all  went  south  in  winter.  A  Mr.  Stewart  was  over  to  the 
Wolves  and  told  me  he  saw  more  than  five  hundred  Harlequin 
ducks  in  one  cove.  A  good  chance  for  any  young  collector  that 
wishes  to  make  a  martyr  of  himself  and  freeze  to  death  here  is  a 
good  chance.  I  think  before  long  I  shall  go  south  again,  probably 
to  Florida;  if  there  are  any  particular  birds  Mr.  Bidgway  wants 
me  to  look  after,  let  me  know.  I  shall  probably  go  south  without, 
much  delay  and  stop  on  my  return  along  by  the  way,  as  after  I 
start  want  to  get  as  soon  as  possible  into  warm  weather. 

With  kind  regards  to  all  the  folks,  I  am 
Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


CORRESPONDENCE  207 

Milltown,  N.  B.,  March  15,  1880. 
My  Dear  Professor: 

I  have  not  written  yon  for  some  time  for  the  good  reason  I 
had  nothing  very  new  to  communicate.  I  have  been  on  the  look- 
out for  anything  worth  sending  you  in  the  way  of  birds.  Some 
good  sea  birds  have  been  sent  me  but  were  not  fit  to  send  in  the 
flesh  so  far.  I  have  just  had  sent  in  a  pair,  male  and  female 
Barrows,  just  killed  and  thought  1  would  send  them  to  you  and 
only  sorry  I  have  not  a  good  Labrador  Hawk  or  some  other  good 
birds.  Have  only  heard  of  one  Gyrfalcon  being  shot  this  winter 
and  that  was  in  Massachusetts.  I  believe  I  wrote  you  I  got  a 
Stone  Chat  shot  at  Indian  Island. 

So  much  for  birds,  now  about  fish.  I  suppose  you  are  very  busy 
getting  things  ready  for  Europe.  I  was  glad  to  see  Prof.  Goode 
was  to  go  away  to  represent  you  and  have  no  doubt  you  will  have 
a  very  fine  show ;  almost  wish  I  was  going  myself.  I  see  Prof. 
Bean  is  going  up  to  Alaska.  All  your  fish  folks  will  be  away 
except  Prof.  Gill  and  he  is  cmite  a  team  by  himself.  Hope  you 
will  have  good  success  with  the  shad ;  our  river  used  to  be  a  good 
shad  river  until  the  dam  was  put  across  at  the  tide  mills  and  none 
have  gone  up  since ;  they  were  very  abundant  at  St.  John  last  year ; 
they  were  retailed  at  ten  cents.  ThePorgies  have  left  us  entirely, 
been  none  for  years. 

My  lame  knee  is  much  better,  can  now  walk  about  on  two 
canes  and  hope  by  spring  to  go  alone  again.  If  I  get  so  as  to  walk 
hope  to  go  out  to  see  the  boys  at  Minneapolis  in  May  as  we  lost 
our  visit  in  the  fall.  AVe  have  had  a  nice  winter,  good  sleighing 
since  November.  I  expect  your  new  Museum  is  done ;  must  try 
to  go  and  see  it  as  soon  as  you  get  it  in  order. 

Mrs.  B.  joins  me  in  much  love  to  you  and  Mrs.  B.  and  Lucy. 
Sincerely  yours, 

G.   A.   BOARDMAN. 

P.  S.  The  birds  will  want  to  be  looked  after  very  soon  by 
Mr.  Marshall. 

Milltown,  St.  Stephen,  N.  B.,  Aug.  1, 1S80. 
My  Dear  Professor: 

I  have  not,  I  believe,  written  you  since  my  return  from  out 
west ;  one  reason  I  had  not  much  news  to  write  about,  another 


208      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

was  I  knew  you  must  be  very  busy  getting  ready  to  go  to  New- 
port and  the  folks  away  with  so  many  things  to  the  great  fair  in 
Europe.  We  arrived  home  four  weeks  ago ;  found  everything  in 
good  order  about  our  premises.  Was  sorry  not  to  have  been  able 
to  remain  west  until  fall  and  had  some  fall  shooting.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  see  so  many  species  of  ducks  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of 
Minneapolis ;  I  saw  flocks  of  male  Ruddy  Ducks,  Blue-wing  Shov- 
elers,  Gadwalls,  Blue-wing  Teal,  as  well  as  Wood  ducks,  Mallard, 
Hooded  Mergansers,  etc. ;  saw  but  few  females  as  they  were  away 
breeding;  saw  some  Franklin  Rosy  Gulls  shot,  real  beauties.  1 
believe  I  wrote  you  of  seeing  Blue  Heron,  Crested  Cormorants 
and  Blackbirds  breeding  all  on  the  same  trees  at  Lake  Minnetonka, 
also  Swallow-tail  Hawk  near  the  same  place,  but  the  eggs  were 
hatched.  On  the  way  home  at  Chicago  we  were  told  of  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Dall  but  did  not  hear  who  was  the  lady.  I  have 
been  away  a  week  with  Mr.  Hersey  up  St.  John  river  to  the 
Grand  Falls.  Had  a  nice  trip.  John  Taylor  and  Georgie  are 
with  us  and  we  expect  Charles'  wife  and  children  next  Thursday. 

We  are  having  nice  cool  weather  and  hope  you  and  Mrs.  Baird 
will  be  able  to  come  down  to  make  us  a  visit.  I  know  Newport 
to  be  a  nice  place  but  for  cool,  nice  weather  Eastport  and  Bay  of 
Fundy  are  hard  to  beat  this  time  of  year. 

All  join  in  much  love  to  you,  Mrs.  B.,  Lucy  and  all  the 
friends.  Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  N.  B.,  19  Sept.,  1880. 
My  Dear  Professor: 

I  received  the  paper  Republic  you  sent  me.  A  very  good 
picture  of  your  house  and  a  very  good  account  of  your  dear  self, 
written  by  some  fellow  that  knew  you  pretty  well,  but  some 
points  he  did  not  get  in.  He  should  speak  of  your  love  of  nice 
kid  gloves,  and  how  good  you  always  feel  when  you  get  on  that 
swallow  tail  coat,  etc. 

1  also  received  your  letter  about  a  month  ago ;  hope  you  may 
all  have  a  pleasant  time  in  Newport  this  season.  I  know  Mrs.  Baird 
and  Lucy  must  enjoy  the  place  in  summer  and  would  be  pleasant 
to  be  with  Capt.  Churchill's  folks.  We  have  had  a  fine  cool  sum- 
mer, Charles'  wife  and  children,  Georgie  and  Mr.  Taylor  have 


CORRESPONDENCE  209 

been  with  us  most  of  the  summer,  but  have  now  gone  homo.     We 
miss  them  very  much. 

My  lame  leg  is  getting  stronger  all  the  time  but  get  tired 
when  out  woodcock  shooting  very  easily. 

Have  not  found  anything  very  new  in  the  way  of  birds  or 
fish ;  was  up  to  St.  John  last  month  and  found  a  bird  stuffed  with 
an  Avoset,  just  mounted;  said  there  had  been  three  this  season, 
and  shot  at  Tnaco.  I  wrote  to  the  shooter  and  he  says  he  gets 
them  every  year  or  two.  I  had  one  sent  me  some  years  ago  from 
Mace's  Bay  and  have  two  in  my  collection.  Dr.  Brewer  thought 
very  strange  they  should  be  found  in  this  neighborhood  and 
never  one  recorded  as  being  taken  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Wilson  thought  he  had  a  new  flounder  and  wanted  it  sent 
you.  I  knew  it  was  a  common  fish  to  you,  but  very  rare  here. 
Called  by  some  Spotted  Turbot,  a  very  thin,  transparent,  spotted 
flounder,  Lophopsetta  maculata.   ITow  far  north  are  they  common  ? 

I  have  written  several  letters  to  the  fishermen  to  be  on  the 
lookout  for  a  small  size  Basking  Shark  if  one  can  be  found,  but 
the  fishermen  sa}^  they  never  have  seen  a  very  small  one. 

I  expect  the  new  building  in  Washington  is  about  finished 
Hope  I  may  not  have  any  mishap  to  keep  me  from  going  south 
this  fall  so  as  to  see  what  you  have  got  new  added  to  the  Smith- 
sonian. 

I  hope  the  Fish  Commissioner  may  get  down  east  next  year. 
You  would  find  Prince  Edward  Island  quite  interesting  to  look 
after  new  fish.  The  water  is  very  much  warmer  than  the  Bay  of 
Fundy.  When  there  year  before  last  the  bathing  was  very  com- 
fortable, but  never  in  or  about  Bay  of  Fundy  waters. 

Mrs.  B.  joins  in  much  love  to  yourself,  Mrs.  Baird,  Lucy  and 
all  the  friends.  Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Palatka,  Florida,  8  January,  1882. 
Mv  Dear  Professor: 

I  received  your  letter  some  days  since,  glad  to  hear  you  are 
all  so  nicely. 

Charles  has  been  very  busy  and  I  do  not  think  be  has  taken 
interest  enough  in  looking  after  the  diggings  of  his  railroad. 
There  was  one  mound,  he  says,  there  were  a  good  many  long  stone 


210     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

spear  heads  and  knives,  some  I  have  seen  that  are  very  pretty,  that 
I  am  in  hopes  to  get.  The  young  men  in  the  road  employ  have 
them  and  I  am  mounting  up  some  pretty  birds  that  I  may  exchange 
for  the  stone  things.  They  were  found  last  spring  near  Palatka  and 
most  of  them  have  been  taken  north.  I  will  now  be  on  the  look- 
out for  anything  they  may  find.  The  diggers  are  now  ten  miles 
south  of  Ocala;  no  track  laid  within  fifteen  miles  of  them,  but 
hope  to  go  down  before  very  long.  Have  seen  no  new  or  very  rare 
birds,  only  yesterday  saw  one  of  those  white-tail,  or  black  shoul- 
dered Kites  brought  in. 

There  is  one  very  good  taxidermist  here ;  he  puts  up  Waders 
very  life-like,  the  best  I  have  seen  anywhere.  Sands  is  also  at  work 
and  is  doing  very  well ;  has  a  nice  place  near  town  but  cannot  do 
up  the  Waders  so  artistic  as  the  man  Hoyt,  not  the  Hoyt  you  saw 
when  you  was  in  Jacksonville,  H.  H.  Hoyt  from  Stamford,  Conn. 
He  can  also  draw  or  paint  well  and  is  a  very  good  artist.  He 
would  be  a  good  man  to  put  up  some  Waders  to  replace  those  poor 
ones  that  have  been  in  the  Smithsonian  so  long.  He  would  be  a 
good  man  to  go  to  Hudson  Bay  to  take  charge  of  the  meteorological 
establishment  as  he  is  a  man  of  brains,  if  he  would  go.  Some  of 
the  white  birds  are  now  just  coming  into  good  plumage.  I  saw 
one  yesterday  with  good  plumes,  but  only  one  in  a  dozen.  This 
is  a  nice  place  to  collect,  to  go  out  on  the  cars  in  the  morning, 
return  in  the  evening.  I  am  going  out  quail  shooting  tomorrow ; 
was  out  twice  last  week.  Should  be  pleased  to  see  Ridgway 
down  here ;  it  would  be  a  much  better  place  for  his  spring  vacation 
than  out  at  Illinois  where  he  has  been  the  last  few  years.  A 
vacation  for  you  would  not  hurt  you  as  you  have  not  been  down 
here  to  look  after  the  fish  for  some  years.  This  State  is  full  of 
little  ponds  and  lakes,  some  large  lakes,  but  the  small  ones  could 
be  drained  and  fish  killed  out  and  carp  could  be  raised  by  the 
million.  The  cars  ran  over  an  alligator  a  few  days  ago,  that  was 
trying  to  cross  the  track.  One  of  my  Florida  friends,  Win.  Foster 
of  Clifton  Springs  died  last  week.  We  may  not  go  west  to  live ; 
go  out  next  season  to  visit  and  then  go  back  to  Calais  where  we 
have  a  nice  place.  J  think  we  would  be  more  at  home  down  east. 
Mrs.  B.  joins  in  much  love  to  you  and  Mrs.  Baird,  Lucy  and  all 
the  friends.  Sincerely  yours, 

G.  A.  Boardman. 


CORRESPONDENCE  211 

10  Oak  Grove  St.,  Minneapolis,  28  June,  1886. 
Dear  Professor: 

A  good  many  years  ago  you  told  me  to  be  sure  and  write  you 
every  mouth  and  now  three  or  four  months  do  not  appear  longer 
than  a  mouth  used  to. 

I  came  out  here  with  Mrs.  B.  the  first  of  May  and  the  children 
are  determined  not  to  let  us  go  away,  but  we  hope  to  be  home  in 
about  three  weeks.  This  is  a  great  country  and  growing  very 
fast.  The  boys  are  all  doing  very  well.  Have  nice  places  and 
keep  good  teams  and  we  enjoy  ourselves  very  much. 

Calais,  Maine,  July  23,  1886. 
Dear  Professor: 

I  thought  I  wrote  you  from  Minneapolis,  but  upon  my  return 
home  find  a  piece  of  a  letter  started  for  you  among  my  papers.  I 
was  so  busy  doing  nothing  out  west  I  did  not  attend  to  things 
very  well.  AVe  left  for  home  12th  July  and  arrived  home  last 
Tuesday.  We  spent  a  couple  of  days  at  Kennebunkport  and 
found  Capt.  Beudire  there  at  the  hotel.  He  appeared  to  be  enjoy- 
ing himself  very  much.  He  is  on  his  way  east  and  promises  to 
make  a  visit  at  Calais  and  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  him.  He  is  to 
spend  a  week  or  two  at  Mount  Desert  and  then  come  east. 

I  did  not  see  much  that  was  new  in  the  way  of  natural  his- 
tory. A  taxidermist,  F.  L.  Tappau  of  Minneapolis,  had  a  black 
Wild  cat,  Lynx  Rufus,  that  he  got  in  Florida.  It  was  black  all 
over  as  much  as  any  black  fox,  but  you  could  see  the  spots  a  little 
ou  the  sides.  If  it  had  been  in  any  kind  of  order  for  mountiug  I 
would  have  got  it  for  you,  but  the  fool  had  cut  off  the  feet  to 
make  a  rug,  also  the  head  was  gone.  He  has  the  skin,  if  of  any 
use  I  could  get  it  for  you. 

Did  you  ever  have  one? 

We  find  everything  all  right  at  home.  My  man  and  woman 
took  good  care  of  everything.  Frank  Todd  tells  me  salmon  are 
very  scarce  this  season,  only  about  a  dozen  taken  with  fty.  They 
cannot  be  expected  plenty  every  year. 

There  is  a  large  crew  at  work  putting  water  works  iu  Calais, 
Milltown  and  St.  Stephen.  Have  taken  my  farm  upon  the  hill 
for  a  reservoir  and  things  look  quite  lively  about  town.  We 
expect  Charles  and   family  next   week.     He  tells  great  stories 


212    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

about  his  new  city  at  Charlotte  Harbor  and  says  we  must  all  go 
down  next  winter. 

With  kiud  regards  to  you,  Mrs.  B.,  Lucy,  in  which  Mrs.  B. 
joins. 

Sincerely  yours, 

G.    A.   BOARDMAN. 

Calais,  Maine,  Sept.  5,  1886. 
Dear  Professor  : 

I  received  a  letter  from  Capt.  Bendire,  written  August  12,  say- 
ing he  would  be  in  Calais  the  next  week  and  see  me.  It  was 
written  in  Bar  Harbor  and  I  wrote  him  to  be  sure  and  come  along. 
Have  not  heard  anything  from  him  since.  Hope  nothing  has 
happened  to  him. 

My  friend  in  Minneapolis  wrote  me  he  would  send  you  the 
skin  of  the  black  Lynx.  He  has  had  it  tanned  and  will  be  a  rare 
skin  for  your  fur  collection.  I  was  very  sorry  he  cut  off  the  head 
and  feet  to  get  it  tanned  but  it  was  poorly  skinned  and  he  did  not 
know  the  rarity  of  it. 

I  hope  Capt.  Bendire  may  come  along. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Prof.  S.  F.  Baird  said,  or  wrote  that  he 
might  be  down  east  this  season.  If  you  see  him  please  say  to  him 
to  hurry  along  as  the  season  is  fast  going  away. 

We  are  having  nice  weather.  Charles"  family  are  with  us  but 
he  is  now  in  Boston  and  is  expected  down  in  a  few  days. 

With  kind  regards  to  all  the  folks,  I  am 
Yours  as  ever, 

G.    A.   BOARDMAN. 

Letter  from  Mr.  Boardman  to  Mrs.  Baird. 

Milltown,  19  Sept.,  1869. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Baird: 

I  commenced  to  write  to  the  Professor  but  I  am  so  cross  to 
think  he  should  return  home  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  come  to  see 
us  again,  I  don't  think  I  shall  write  him  again,  until  I  feel  better 
natured  about  it. 

I  remember  those  bad  names  he  told  you  to  call  me,  for  not 
going  over  to  Grand  Mauan  with  him,  I  wish  you  would  multiply 
them  by  ten,  and  then  put  them  all  on  him. 


'  *  -. 

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CORRESPONDENCE  213 

We  certainly  expected  another  visit,  if  only  of  a  few  days. 
We  expect  Georgie  will  leave  for  home  Monday;  she  had  a 
very  nice  trip  on  by  land,  enjoyed  it  very  much,  expect  she  will 
return  by  boat,  if  the  weather  should  be  good.     Hope  you  may 
have  a  pleasant  passage. 

With  much  love  to  Lucy  and  only  a  little  to  the  Professor  this 
time,  I  am 

Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

One  of  Mr.  Boardman's  most  intimate  correspondents 
was  Dr.  William  Wood  of  East  Windsor  Hill,  Connecti- 
cut, one  of  the  most  eminent  naturalists  which  that  state 
ever  produced. 

William  Wood,  the  son  of  Rev.  Euke  Wood,  was  born 
in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  July  7,  1822.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  the  academy  at  Old  Killing  worth,  now 
Clinton  in  that  state  and  under  the  private  tutorship  of 
Prof.  Marsh  and  Prof.  L/Overin,  in  Vermont.  He  was 
qualified  for  the  senior  class  at  Yale,  which  he  had  hoped 
to  enter  and  graduate  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  but  failure 
of  his  eyes,  which  had  been  overtaxed  in  study,  prevented 
the  realization  of  this  hope.  He  then  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, studied  medicine,  attended  lectures  at  the  Berkshire 
Medical  College,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  at  the  University 
Medical  College  of  New  York,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1847.  On  November  9,  1848,  Mr.  Wood  married 
Mary  layman  Ellsworth.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Dea.  Erastus  Ellsworth,  member  of  one  of  the  famous 
families  of  Connecticut  and  was  himself  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal founders  of  the  Theological  Institute  at  East 
Windsor  Hill.  Immediately  after  his  marriage  Dr.  Wood 
settled  at  East  Windsor  Hill  where  he  continued  to  reside 


214     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

throughout  his  long  and  active  professional  and  scientific 
life. 

Dr.  Wood  was  very  enthusiastic  in  the  study  of  natural 
history,  giving  special  attention  to  the  study  of  orni- 
thology and  oology  in  which  he  made  large  collections. 
In  taxidermy  Dr.  Wood  had  few  superiors  and  his  collec- 
tion of  mounted  birds  and  their  eggs  was  widely  known 
—  being  the  largest  and  choicest  in  private  hands  in  the 
state  of  Connecticut  and  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country. 
In  a  special  building  upon  his  home  grounds  he  had  his 
office,  while  the  larger  part  of  it  was  used  to  house  his 
extensive  collections  of  natural  history  specimens,  Indian 
relics  and  other  curios.  The  collection  was  always  freely 
shown  to  all  visitors  by  some  member  of  the  family, 
without  charge.  Dr.  Wood  was  an  occasional  contrib- 
utor to  the  American  Naturalist  and  wrote  a  series  of 
articles  on  the  Rapacious  Birds  of  New  England, 
published  in  the  Hartford  Times  in  1861.  Upon  this  sub- 
ject he  was  the  leading  authority.  He  was  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  of  Williams 
College  and  a  corresponding  member  of  the  Nuttall  Orni- 
thological Club  of  Cambridge,  Mass. 

From  a  memoir  of  Dr.  Wood  contributed  to  the  Report 
of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society  by  Dr.  S.  R.  Burnap 
of  Windsor  Docks,  the  following  extract  is  taken  : 

Dr.  Wood  was  a  man  of  a  very  genial  and  friendly  nature, 
warm  and  hearty  in  his  greetings,  and  especially  enjoyed  meeting 
his  professional  brethren  in  the  several  medical  societies  with 
which  he  was  connected,  and  would  be  at  much  pains  and  incon- 
venience rather  than  be  absent  on  those  occasions.  He  was  one 
of  the  two  or  three  organizers  of  the  Hartford  County  North 
Medical  Association  some  twenty-eight  years  ago,  of  which  he 
was  secretary  from  the  time  of  its  organization  till  his  death. 


CORRESPONDENCE  215 

Although  he  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of  the  natural 
sciences,  for  which  he  had  great  taste,  I  think  he  did  uot  do  this 
to  the  neglect  of  his  medical  reading.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
industry  and  activity,  and  an  early  riser;  and  by  a  systematic  use 
of  his  time  was  able  to  gratify  his  tastes  without  neglecting  his 
duties  as  a  physician,  lie  took  a  lively  interest  in  his  patients, 
was  prompt  and  faithful  in  his  attendance,  kind  and  gentle  in  his 
manner,  warm  in  his  sympathies,  and  evidently  earnest  in  his 
endeavor  to  do  them  good.  In  this  way  he  merited  and  won  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  many  families  who,  in  times  of 
peril,  were  willing  to  trust  their  health  and  their  lives  in  his 
bauds.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  interested  in  all  that  pertained  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived;  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  and  for  thirty  years 
leader  of  its  choir  in  music,  being  rarely  absent  unless  when 
compelled  by  urgent  professional  duties.  He  was  a  most  agree- 
able person  to  meet  at  his  home  or  elsewhere.  He  was  a  good 
talker  and  had  a  large  fund  of  anecdotes ;  could  tell  a  good  story 
and  enjoy  a  hearty  laugh.  He  was  naturally  domestic  in  his 
tastes  and  was  most  happy  in  his  domestic  life. 

Dr.  Wood  died,  after  an  illness  of  but  three  days'  dura- 
tion, August  9,  1885,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
An  obituary  notice  in  the  Hartford  Daily  Times  of 
August  10,  1885,  said :  "  He  was  a  well-informed  orni- 
thologist and  quite  an  artistic  taxidermist.  His  collec- 
tion of  specimens  of  native  and  foreign  birds  is  large. 
Dr.  Wood's  opinion  was  taken  as  authority  by  ornitholo- 
gists of  distinction,  and  his  writings  on  the  birds  of  this 
region  will  beheld  as  valuable  in  the  future."  In  an 
obituary  notice  in  the  editorial  columns  of  the  Ornitholo- 
gist and  Oologist,  for  September,  1885,  Volume  X.,  No. 
9,  occurs  the  following  tribute  :  "  Few  names  are  better 
known  in  the  ornithological  world  than  that  of  Dr. 
Wood.    A  well-known  physician  in  the  state  to  which 


216    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

he  belonged,  lie  was  more  widely  known  as  an  enthusi- 
astic naturalist,  and  especially  as  an  ornithologist  whose 
opinion  was  widely  sought  and  universally  respected. 
He  was  also  a  taxidermist  of  large  experience  and  talent. 
His  collection  of  birds  and  eggs  both  native  and  foreign 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  private  hands  in  the  country.  A 
large  proportion  of  them  have  been  prepared  by  his  own 
hands.  His  writings  have  consisted  principally  of  com- 
munications to  local  and  other  papers  mainly  on  the 
birds  and  fishes  of  New  England.  He  also  contributed 
to  some  of  the  earlier  volumes  of  this  Magazine,  but  of 
late  he  confined  himself  to  occasional  notes  on  subjects 
which  were  being  discussed." 

In  1896  Mrs.  Mary  Ellsworth  Wood,  widow  of  Dr. 
Wood,  presented  her  husband's  entire  collection  to  the 
Hartford  Scientific  Society  and  it  was  deposited  in  the 
rooms  of  the  Wadsworth  Athenaeum.  A  full  and  most 
interesting  description  of  the  collection,  with  illustra- 
tions, was  published  in  the  columns  of  The  Hartford 
Courant,  November  18,  1896.  In  1902,  when  the  collec- 
tion was  opened  to  the  general  public,  an  account  of  the 
same  also  appeared  in  the  columns  of  The  Hartford 
Times,  July  7.  The  collection  is  under  the  care  of 
Albert  C.  Bates,  librarian  of  the  Connecticut  Historical 
Society. 

Mr.  John  H.  Sage  of  Portland,  Conn.,  writing  to  Mr. 
Boardman  August  19,  1885,  regarding  Dr.  Wood's 
death,  says  :  "  Yes  —  it  is  sad  to  think  our  good  friend 
Dr.  Wood  has  left  us.  I  was  thunder-struck  when  I 
took  up  the  paper  and  read  the  notice  of  his  death,  hav- 
ing had  a  letter  from  him  only  a  few  days  before.  He 
died  at  six  o'clock  Sunday  morning,  August  9,  aged 


CORRESPONDENCE  217 

sixty-three.  He  was  out  fishing  the  previous  Thursday 
when  he  was  attacked  by  severe  intestinal  trouble  that 
had  afflicted  him  for  many  years.  His  daughter  told  me 
that  he  said  he  should  not  live.  He  appeared  to  know 
what  they  were  doing  for  him  but  spoke  very  little  dur- 
ing his  sickness.  We  were  the  best  of  friends  and  I 
shall  miss  his  ever-welcome  letters  and  the  opportunity 
of  consulting  him  occasionally  as  has  been  my  habit  for 
years.  He  had  a  large  collection  of  birds  and  eggs> 
many  Indian  relics  and  fish.  I  hope  his  collection  will  be 
placed  in  Hartford.  It  was  especially  rich  in  local  rapa- 
cious birds.  His  series  of  rough-legs  is  very  valuable." 
The  correspondence  between  Mr.  Boardman  and  Dr. 
Wood  commenced  September  20,  186-4,  and  continued 
until  September  30,  1885.  Dr.  Wood  wrote  the  first 
letter  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  J.  A.  Allen,  saying: 
"My  object  is  to  open  an  exchange  with  you  of  skins 
and  eggs  and  I  trust  I  need  make  no  apology  for  address- 
ing one  engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  as  myself."  Dr. 
Wood  particularly  wants  eggs  and  in  this  letter  gives 
the  numbers  (according  to  the  Baird  Smithsonian  list) 
of  the  eggs  of  one  hundred  and  eleven  species  which  he 
has,  fifty  of  which  are  of  foreign  birds.  Mr.  Boardman 
answered  this  letter  immediately  upon  its  receipt,  writing 
one  of  the  most  interesting  autobiographical  letters  he  ever 
penned,  telling  how  he  began  the  study  of  birds  and 
what  he  had,  saying  it  was  only  within  a  few  years  that 
he  had  cared  for  birds'  eggs.  "I  have  found  quite  a 
number  of  good  eggs  this  season,"  he  writes,  "  but  have 
had  so  many  visitors  they  have  taken  the  most  of  them 
away."  Yet  he  writes  that  he  has  all  but  eight  of  the 
list  enclosed  by  Dr.  Wood. 


218    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

During  the  continuance  of  this  correspondence  fifty- 
two  letters  were  written  by  Dr.  Wood  and  sixty-nine  by 
Mr.  Boardman.  The  collection  is  rich  in  natural  history 
facts,  for  both  were  rare  observers  of  the  ways  of  birds 
and  most  entertaining  letter- writers.  Interesting  per- 
sonal incidents  also  occur  in  nearly  each  one.  Wher- 
ever Mr.  Boardman  was  he  kept  up  his  correspondence 
with  his  friends.  He  wrote  from  his  home  in  Milltown, 
from  places  in  Florida  where  he  spent  the  winters,  from 
Boston,  from  New  York,  from  Washington,  from  Minne- 
sota and  from  California.  The  letters  are  all  original. 
There  are  no  duplicates  in  Mr.  Boardman's  letters 
though  written  to  so  many  different  persons  and  gen- 
erally upon  the  same  subjects. 

Dr.  Wood  writes  in  1864  that  he  has  not  been  able  to 
get  the  eggs  of  the  Duck  Hawk  ' '  although  I  visited  the 
cliffs,  some  fifteen  miles  from  here,  four  times  last  spring 
for  that  purpose.  The  birds  that  were  described  in 
chapter  fifteen  of  my  Rapacious  Birds  of  New  England, 
I  kept  alive  two  years,  and  when  Prof.  Baird  was  here 
I  gave  them  to  him.  He  took  them  to  Washington  to 
note  the  change  in  plumage  but  they  soon  died."  Writ- 
ing to  Mr.  Boardman  May  17,  1865,  he  tells  of  his  collec- 
tors who  climb  trees  after  the  nests  of  the  Red-tailed 
Hawk,  in  this  interesting  extract. 

I  expect  to  start  on  a  trip  of  thirty-two  miles  next  Monday 
to  collect  the  eggs  of  the  Night  Heron.  One  of  my  collectors 
accompanies  me  to  climb  the  trees.  They  nest  here  in  great 
numbers,  1,000  or  more.  I  wish  you  were  here  to  go  with  us.  It 
is  a  sight  worth  seeing  to  go  into  that  heavy  timbered  swamp  and 
see  it  alive  with  them.  Almost  every  tree  has  one  or  more  nests 
upon  it.  I  went  there  some  four  years  since  but  found  the  young 
so  far  advauced  that  I  did  not  get  but  a  few  poor  eggs.    Hope  to 


CORRESPONDENCE  219 

do  better  this  season.  My  collectors  have  done  well  this  spring 
and  I  expect  to  get  a  good  many  duplicates  for  exchanges.  One 
of  my  hunters  who  lives  some  twenty  miles  from  me  sent  me 
word  when  I  was  sick  that  he  had  found  two  nests  of  the  Red- 
tailed  Hawk,  but  could  find  no  one  who  dared  climb  the  trees.  If 
I  had  been  able  I  should  have  gone  out  with  one  of  my  climbers 
who  says  "he  can  climb  any  tree  made  of  wood,"  and  I  believe  he 
can.  lie  makes  no  more  effort  apparently  than  a  squirrel.  I  have 
seen  him  go  up  sixty  or  eighty  feet  and  swing  off  with  nothing 
but  his  feet  to  hold  him  —  head  down  and  then  swing  back. 

"  The  Wood  Pewee,"  writes  Dr.  Wood  on  March  11, 
ISliT,  "  does  not  nest  in  the  same  spot  when  broken  tip, 
but  very  near  it.  There  is  a  grove  of  one  and  one-half 
acres  back  of  our  garden  and  the  pair  would  not  leave 
that  grove  no  matter  how  many  times  I  took  their  eggs." 
May  7,  1868,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  him:  "I  told  my 
friend  Mr.  Krider  of  Philadelphia,  who  is  a  great  col- 
lector and  a  very  nice  man,  to  get  acquainted  with  you. 
He  has  a  good  collection  and  time  to  pay  attention  to 
the  egg  business,  and  does  not  have  two  hundred  work- 
men to  keep  employed.  In  about  ten  days,  or  after  the 
lakes  are  open,  I  expect  to  go  up  country  fishing  and 
look  after  some  tree  ducks.  The  little  Buffle  Head  Duck 
is  with  us  all  the  season  and  breeds  in  holes  in  trees, 
but  I  have  never  been  able  to  get  the  eggs.  Baird  has 
them  but  I  prefer  to  get  them  here  if  possible." 

On  May  18,  1868,  Dr.  Wood  writes  :  "I  have  obtained 
one  very  singular  set  of  eggs  that  I  am  unable  to  decipher 
— one  of  my  collectors  told  me  that  he  had  found  some 
very  singular  crows'  eggs.  He  saw  the  crow  building 
the  nest  in  the  top  of  a  tall  pine  and  after  a  week  or  so 
he  obtained  four  eggs.  They  are  the  shape  and  size  of 
rather  small  crows'  eggs,  but  are  marked  like  the  eggs 


220    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

of  the  Chewink,  with  reddish-brown  spots,  no  green  or 
bluish  color  about  them.  What  are  they?  Does  the 
Fish  Crow  lay  such  an  egg  ?  ' '  Mr.  Boardman  answers 
by  saying  :  ' '  The  crows'  eggs  were  marked  very  oddly 
but  I  have  seen  crows'  eggs  of  most  all  colors,  nearly 
white  and  also  quite  brown." 

Dr.  Wood  was  a  delegate  to  the  Vermont  State  Medical 
Society  at  Brattleboro  in  July,  1868,  and  on  his  return  in 
the  train  he  saw  a  good  looking  man  reading  the  American 
Naturalist.  He  writes  Mr.  Boardman  :  ' '  On  the  strength 
of  that  I  ventured  to  ask  him  if  he  was  a  naturalist. 
He  replied  that  he  was  fond  of  botany  and  that  he  had 
now  been  up  into  Vermont  to  collect  a  very  rare  plant 
which  was  only  found  on  an  island  in  the  Connecticut 
river  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  I  found  he  had 
travelled  all  over  this  continent  as  well  as  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Coasts.  After  considerable  yankeeing  I 
found  out  that  he  was  Prof.  Alphonso  Wood,  author  of 
Wood's  Botany.  We  had  quite  a  lively  time  after  we 
found  out  each  other's  names  and  that  we  were  distantly 
related."  In  a  subsequent  letter,  under  date  of  October 
9,  1868,  Dr.  Wood  gives  the  conclusion  of  this  interest- 
ing incident  : 

I  sent  Prof.  Wood,  author  of  Wood's  Botany,  a  box  of 
botanical  specimens  last  week.  We  have  a  plant,  Lygodium 
palmatuin,  the  climbing  fern,  which  is  very  abundant  here  but  is 
not  to  be  found  anywhere  else  on  the  globe  in  any  quantity. 
There  is  one  place  in  Massachusetts  where  a  little  can  be  found. 
It  is  one  of  the  rarest  plants  in  the  world.  I  was  telling  Prof. 
Wood  of  the  abundance  of  it  here,  last  summer,  and  he  was 
anxious  to  have  me  send  him  not  only  some  pressed  specimens 
but  some  roots.  He  intends  to  transplant  it.  I  sent  him  over 
fifty  good  roots  and  some  twenty-five  pressed  specimens.     Prof. 


CORRESPONDENCE  221 

Gray  of  Harvard  sent  for  a  box  of  specimens;  Prof.  Chadbourne 
also.  Prof.  Eaton  of  New  Haven  came  up  here  to  see  it  growing 
and  gather  some.  He  had  never  seen  it,  although  he  was  professor 
of  botany.  I  took  him  into  the  woods  where  it  was  as  thick  as  it 
could  stand.  When  he  saw  it,  he  took  oft"  his  hat  and  swung  it, 
exclaiming,  "  T  am  ready  to  die  now !  "    A  little  enthusiastic. 

"Have  you  seen  the  August  Naturalist?"  Dr.  Wood 
inquires  in  the  same  letter.  "When  Allen  was  writing 
for  the  Institute  proceedings,  he  visited  me  and  wanted 
a  set  of  my  articles  on  the  Rapacious  Birds  of  Connecti- 
cut, which  I  gave  him.  This  month's  number  contains 
an  article  from  him  on  the  Screech  Owl  —  the  whole  of 
which,  almost,  is  copied  from  my  article  with  a  little 
change  in  phraseology  but  without  giving  me  any  credit 
for  it.  I  would  not  care  were  it  not  that  Putnam  wrote 
me  while  the  discussion  was  going  on  in  the  Naturalist 
regarding  the  Screech  Owl,  requesting  an  article  from 
me.  I  forwarded  him  my  article  with  slight  alterations 
which  he  has  accepted  and  the  proof  is  corrected.  The 
article  will  appear  in  the  September  or  October  number 
and  to  those  not  knowing  the  facts  it  will  appear  as 
though  I  had  taken  my  facts  from  Allen  without  credit. 
I  am  very  sorry  on  this  account."  In  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Wood  on  December  9,  18G8,  Mr.  Boardman  writes : 

The  Red  Throat  I  wrote  you  about  was  brought  into  a  taxi- 
dermist shop  in  North  William  Street,  New  York,  when  I  was  there ; 
Mr.  Wallace  mounted  it.  The  man  shot  it  in  the  souud,  but  did 
not  say  at  what  part.  The  red  was  not  very  good  but  would  have 
boon  in  a  very  few  days.  I  think  in  winter  they  do  not  have  the 
red-throat,  but  all  I  get  as  late  as  the  last  of  April  or  first  of  May 
have  the  throat  red.  I  never  saw  a  white  throat  bird  late  in  spring 
and  never  a  red  one  in  winter.  I  noticed  what  you  say  about 
trusting  to  the  gunners  for  names  of  the  different  kinds  of  birds. 
They  always  see  or  shoot  some  wonderful  birds,  such  as  have  never 


222    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

been  seen,  but  they  most  always  turn  out  some  common  affair. 
I  wish  you  could  spend  time  to  go  south  with  me  this  winter.  I 
generally  call  to  see  all  the  naturalist  folks  in  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, Washington,  Charleston,  etc.  You  would  enjoy  Florida  — 
there  are  so  many  new  things  to  see  at  every  place  you  go. 

Among  the  interesting  things  in  Mr.  Boardman's  letters 
are  the  following  :  "I  have  never  had  much  experience 
with  the  Red-tailed  Buzzard  or  Hen  Hawk.  They  are 
not  plenty  with  us  but  I  have  seen  them  in  all  the 
plumages  you  name  and  have  thought  it  took  several 
years  for  them  to  mature.  It  is  the  same  with  most  all 
hawks.  It  is  also  the  same  with  eagles  but  owls  appear 
always  about  the  same.  It  takes  three  years  for  the 
Eider  Ducks  and  about  the  same  for  the  Herring  Gull  to 
get  into  full  plumage.  I  do  not  know  of  any  good 
description  of  its  change  of  plumage."  Writing  from 
Jacksonville,  January  17,  1881,  he  says  :  "After  receiv- 
ing your  letter  telling  me  your  friend  thought  there  were 
but  few  birds  in  Florida,  I  took  my  gun  and  dog  and 
was  not  gone  from  the  hotel  two  hours  but  I  brought  in 
nine  Wilson  Snipe,  one  Quail,  one  Killdeer  Plover,  L,arks, 
Ground  Doves,  Carolina  Doves,  one  Clapper  Rail, 
Cardinal  red  bird;  while  I  also  saw  Robins,  Red-shouldered 
and  Sparrow  Hawks,  Pewee,  four  kinds  of  Warblers, 
three  of  Woodpeckers,  Tit-larks,  Creepers,  Buzzards  and 
black  Vultures,  Bitterns,  dozens  of  Sparrows,  Shrike 
Mocking  birds,  several  Terns  and  Gulls,  lots  of  Ducks, 
Chuck  Wills  Widow,  and  all  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
Jacksonville  Centre.  A  few  years  ago  I  came  down  with 
my  dog  from  up  country  to  the  hotel  here  and  found 
half  a  dozen  men  with  guns  and  dogs  who  said  they  had 
been  here  all  winter  and  found  no  quail.  Three  of  us 
went  out  the  next   day  and  brought  home  ninety-two 


CORRESPONDENCE  223 

quail  and  some  other  birds.  I  find  birds  and  game 
plenty  in  Florida  but  they  do  not  come  into  hotel  parlors 
very  often."  On  the  habits  of  birds  he  writes  :  "I  had 
not  long  since  a  live  Goshawk  in  my  barn  chamber. 
When  he  was  on  the  beams,  if  I  threw  a  stick  at  him, 
instead  of  stretching  out  his  neck  like  a  goose  or  duck, 
he  would  draw  down  his  head  and  throw  up  his  shoulders 
or  wings."  About  the  Golden  Eagle  which  Dr.  Wood 
had  reported  having,  he  writes  November  30, 1879  :  ' '  You 
got  a  prize  in  your  Golden  Eagle.  They  are  now  very 
rare  in  any  part  of  New  England.  I  have  not  heard  of 
one  being  taken  here  for  some  years.  The  last  two  were 
caught  in  steel  traps." 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  much  about  the  breeding  of  Rich- 
ardson's Owl,"  Mr.  Boardman  writes  September  5,  1879. 
1 '  They  are  not  uncommon  here  late  in  fall  and  winter. 
The  Arcadian  Owl  breeds.  I  have  never  found  the  eggs, 
but  once  I  found  the  nest  and  young.  The  nest  was  in 
a  hole  in  a  stub  not  more  than  five  feet  high.  It  was 
the  first  of  June  and  the  birds  were  about  half  grown. 
I  did  not  count  them,  only  took  out  two  birds,  but  there 
must  have  been  five  or  six." 

One  of  the  points  upon  which  Dr.  Wood  wished 
information  was  the  period  of  incubation  of  the  Osprey. 
He  was  writing  upon  the  subject  and  was  searching 
everything  of  value  in  ornithological  literature  to  find 
out,  "in  order  to  make  my  article  perfectly  reliable. 
But  there  is  not  a  work  extant,  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
that  gives  the  desired  information.  I  have  written  to 
oological  collectors  without  avail."  In  answer  to  a  let- 
ter written  to  Dr.  Brewer  asking  for  the  period  of  incu- 
bation of  our  rapacia,  he  replied  :     "I  am  very  sorry  to 


224     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

have  to  confess  to  entire  ignorance  in  regard  to  the  time 
of  incubation  of  all  the  species."  Dr.  Wood  quotes  Mr. 
Gentry  in  his  work  on  the  Birds  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
as  making  all  the  birds  in  the  family  occupy  a  different 
period,  spending  only  one  or  two  nights  in  building  a 
nest,  and  writes:  "I  watched  one  this  season  which 
took  five  days.  Perhaps  Connecticut  birds  are  not  as 
smart  as  Pennsylvania  birds.  Gentry  is  very  particular 
to  have  each  of  the  six  owls  occupy  a  different  period  of 
incubation,  from  fifteen  to  twenty-four  days."  In  answer 
to  a  request  for  Mr.  Boardman's  views  he  writes : 

In  answer  to  your  question  about  the  time,  or  period  of  incuba- 
tion of  our  hawks  and  owls,  I  must  say  that  I  know  but  little 
about  it,  but  most  every  set  of  eggs  I  take  I  find  them  in  different 
stages.  The  truth  is,  we  have  so  many  crows,  black  birds,  jays, 
cuckoos,  etc.,  etc.,  that  as  soon  as  the  birds  begin  to  lay  one  bird 
has  to  remain  on  the  nest  for  protection  of  the  eggs  and  the  first 
laid  eggs  are  much  more  advanced  than  the  last.  I  find  this  in  the 
eggs  of  small  birds  as  well  as  of  the  large.  I  took  last  night  a 
nest  of  Red-bellied  Nuthatch  made  in  a  hole  so  small  that  nothing 
larger  than  a  mouse  could  get  in.  Out  of  six  eggs  three  were 
nearly  fresh ;  of  the  others  one  was  quite  hard  set.  I  have  found 
in  a  grebe's  nest,  fresh  eggs  and  young  birds.  So  to  get  at  the 
period  of  incubation  we  should  have  to  count  from  the  first  eggs 
in  case  of  most  of  our  birds.  That  may  be  the  reason  Mr.  Gentry 
has  so  much  difference. 

Another  matter  about  which  these  naturalists  had  con- 
siderable correspondence  was  whether  the  Black  and 
Rough-legged  Hawk  were  one  and  the  same  species.  As 
early  in  their  correspondence  as  1868,  Dr.  Wood  had 
asked  Mr.  Boardman's  views  upon  this  subject  and  in  a 
letter  dated  October  12  of  that  year  he  writes  : 

About  the  Black  and  the  Rough-legged  Hawk  being  the  same 
bird,  I  would  say  I  have  some  doubts  aud  some  of  the  reasons  are 


CORRESPONDENCE  225 

those :  The  Rough-legged  of  Europe  is  thought  to  be  the  same 
as  the  American  bird  in  size,  color,  habits,  eggs,  nesting,  etc.,  etc. 
Its  history  is  well  known  from  the  time  they  breed  in  Lapland  to 
their  winter  (matters  in  Central  Europe.  Never  a  blackbird  has 
been  found.  At  the  Smithsonian  at  Washington  they  have  had  at 
least  a  bushel  of  Rough-legged  Hawks'  eggs,  all  sent  with  the 
parent  birds.  There  was  never  one  black  hawk  in  the  lot.  Now 
if,  as  you  think,  the  black  is  the  adult,  how  does  it  happen  that  a 
black  bird  has  never  been  seen  in  Europe?  Or  more  strange,  that 
all  breeding  birds  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  should  be  young,  not 
one  adult  ?  The  Black  Hawk  is  not  at  all  uncommon  in  Labrador 
in  summer.  The  Kough-legged  I  cannot  hear  much  about.  The 
fishermen  never  bring  me  any,  but  up  at  Slave  Lake  and  on  the 
west  coast  the  Rough-legged  is  abundant,  more  so  than  any  other 
hawk,  but  the  black  is  very  rare.  They  are  neither  very  common 
with  us.  I  have  good  specimens,  however,  of  each,  and  they 
appear  to  be  of  most  all  colors.  Most  of  the  black  ones  I  have 
collected  I  have  sent  to  a  friend  in  London  for  purposes  of  com- 
parison with  their  Rough-legged.  They  conclude  it  cannot  be 
the  same  bird.  As  they  have  better  ornithologists  than  I  ever 
expect  to  be  I  must  agree  with  them.  I  would  be  glad  to  see  the 
list  of  species  of  birds  much  reduced,  but  the  man  who  should 
undertake  to  do  the  thing  must  be  prepared  for  the  work  or  he 
would  certainly  have  to  back  down. 

On  December  14,  1874,  Dr.  Wood  writes  : 

Have  you  seen  Baird's,  Brewer's  and  Ridgway's  new  work?  I 
see  they  consider  the  Rough-legged  and  Black  Hawk  the  same 
bird,  but  Baird  makes  no  allusion  to  my  being  the  first  to  positively 
settle  that  disputed  point.  Baird  for  years  contended  that  they 
were  distinct  species  as  confidently  as  my  friend  down  in  Maine 
and  letter  after  letter  passed  between  us  on  that  subject.  Some 
years  since  when  he  was  at  my  office  I  showed  him  the  various 
changes  in  plumage  from  the  young  to  the  adult  —  still  he  would 
not  own  up.  Allen  came  on  at  the  request  of  Agassiz  to  see  my 
series  and  was  convinced  I  was  right.  I  sent  to  the  Cambridge 
Museum  three  specimens,  young,  immature  and  black  Hawk. 
Allen  wrote  an  article  in  the  Naturalist  giving  me  the  credit  of 


226    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

settling  the  identity.  Baird  came  up  here  to  see  the  Great-footed 
hawks  which  I  was  raising,  settling  the  point  of  their  nesting  in 
Connecticut.  I  gave  him  two  which  were  kept  alive  in  Washing- 
ton another  year.  My  birds  were  kept  in  Hartford  by  Mr.  Moses 
as  food  could  be  more  easily  procured  for  them  there.  I  took 
Prof.  Baird  down  there  where  there  were  three  alive  and  told  him 
all  about  capturing  them,  etc.  In  his  work  he  gives  Moses  the 
credit  of  being  the  donor.  I  hope  others  have  got  the  credit  due 
them,  but  perhaps  he  may  be  like  Agassiz  who  claimed  every  new 
discovery  by  his  pupils  as  his,  because  they  were  pursuing  inves- 
tigations under  his  directions.  His  students  made  bitter  complaints 
and  had  reason  to.  Every  man  ought  to  be  credited  with  his  own 
discoveries. 

In  1879,  writing  of  this  subject  again  Dr.  Wood  says  : 
"  I  regret  that  I  have  not  a  duplicate  of  the  May  number 
of  Familiar  Science  to  send  you,  containing  that  chapter 
of  my  work  on  the  Rapacia  where  I  take  up  the  Rough- 
legged  Falcon  —  a  point  on  which  my  views  were  at 
variance  with  those  of  all  the  leading  ornithologists  of 
this  country  and  now  my  views  are  endorsed  by  all  with- 
out giving  me  credit.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  the  first 
ornithologist  who  considered  the  Rough-legged  and  the 
Black  Falcon  identical.  I  give  Audubon  and  Wilson  due 
credit,  but  I  do  claim  to  have  settled  beyond  dispute  that 
our  later  ornithologists  were  mistaken  in  making  two 
species  of  them.  It  is  a  pity  that  some  persons  who 
know  a  little  about  birds — like  your  Portland  man  and 
other  writers  for  the  press  whom  I  might  name  —  should 
attempt  to  do  what  they  know  nothing  about.  It  fills 
our  ornithological  literature  with  blunders  which  are 
credited  as  facts  and  copied  all  over  the  world  and  it 
takes  ages  to  rectify  their  mistakes." 

The  correspondence  of  these  two  friends  is  most 
intimate  and  confiding.    Not  only  are  their  letters  full  of 


CORRESPONDENCE  227 

interest  to  bird-lovers,  they  are  taken  up  to  considerable 
extent  with  matters  of  friendship.  They  are  always 
planning  exchanges  of  birds  and  eggs  which  neither 
does  not  have  and  are  ever  on  the  lookout  for  rare  things 
for  each  other.  Dr.  Wood  is  complaining  of  the  Natur- 
alist because  it  does  not  contain  more  about  real  natural 
history  and  less  of  the  hobbies  of  the  editors ;  while 
Mr.  Boardmau  praises  Forest  and  Stream,  the  Nuttall 
Bulletin,  "  no  horse,  dog  or  fish  in  it,"  and  the  English 
bird  journal,  The  Ibis,  saying  ' '  it  pays  well  and  we  should 
be  able  to  support  a  bird  paper  on  this  side."  His  friend 
has  many  complaints  of  the  Smithsonian  people  because 
they  do  not  pay  better  in  exchanges  for  good  things  sent 
them  and  for  their  tardiness  in  sending  promised  speci- 
mens, while  Mr.  Boardman  is  true  in  his  friendship  for 
them,  always  has  good  excuses  and  apologies,  tells  how 
much  they  have  to  do,  what  a  hurry  they  are  always  in 
and  that  they  will  finally  make  exchanges  satisfactorily, 
' '  but  of  course  the  large  museums  and  the  big  collectors 
must  be  attended  to  first."  Boxes  of  exchanges  are  con- 
stantly being  sent  between  them.  They  tell  each  other 
of  their  losses,  their  unfortunate  investments  and  their 
plans  for  the  future.  "If  I  ever  get  enough  ahead  to 
bid  good-by  to  pills  and  physic  and  devote  my  time  to 
natural  history  you  will  see  one  happy  man  who  will 
some  day  turn  up  somewhere  near  Milltown,  N.  B.," 
writes  Dr.  Wood  ;  while  in  a  letter  of  July  31,  1882,  he 
says  :  "I  wish  I  had  the  time  and  means  to  travel  about 
and  enjoy  life  as  you  do.  I  intended  to  give  up  practice 
at  sixty  and  devote  the  remainder  of  my  days  to  following 
my  favorite  pursuits  and  seeing  my  ornithological  friends 
«~  a  desire  I  have  looked  forward  to  with  a  great  deal  of 


228      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

pleasure  —  but  sixty  has  found  me  this  month  tied  up 
closer  than  ever,  cheated  out  of  $40,000  by  those  I 
supposed  honest  men.  It  is  '  no  use  to  cry  over  spilled 
milk'  but  it  does  not  make  one  feel  particularly  amiable 
to  have  his  plans  frustrated  at  my  period  of  life  by  the 
acts  of  another." 

Notwithstanding  their  close  friendship  and  long  corre- 
spondence these  friends  never  saw  each  other.  Mr.  Board- 
man  was  always  writing  Dr.  Wood  to  visit  him  at  Mill- 
town,  to  go  to  Florida  with  him,  while  the  latter  was 
constantly  entreating  the  former  to  stop  over  on  some  of 
his  trips  from  Boston  to  New  York  or  from  Maine  to 
Florida  and  see  him  and  his  museum.  He  is  telling  him 
how  to  take  a  stage  from  Hartford  for  East  Windsor  Hill, 
and  then  of  a  railroad  to  be  built  which  will  have  a 
station  within  half  a  mile  of  his  house.  In  April,  1873, 
they  had  been  in  New  York  on  the  same  day  and  had 
visited  Wallace's  within  half  an  hour  of  each  other  and 
great  was  the  disappointment  of  both  when  they  found 
it  out  later.  '  'Dr.  Holder,  superintendent  of  Central  Park, 
spent  an  afternoon  with  me  last  week.  He  asked  if  I 
was  acquainted  with  Geo.  A.  Boardman  of  Maine;  I 
replied,  '  yes,  intimately  for  about  sixteen  or  eighteen 
years,  but  never  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  gentle- 
man.' I  explained  when  he  said:  'You  remind  me  of 
him  every  minute.'  So  I  think  it  must  be  about  time  to 
see  each  other  face  to  face.  I  did  not  understand  him 
that  there  was  any  personal  resemblance  between  us, 
but  that  our  enthusiasm  and  manner  of  speaking  were 
alike." 

In  1882  Dr.  Wood  writes:  "I  hope  you  will  not  go 
out  west  to  live  until  you  have  been  here.    If  you  get 


CORRESPONDENCE  229 

so  far  away  I  shall  give  up  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  you 
this  side  of  Jordan;"  while  in  1885  he  says:  "Now 
you  are  back  from  the  south  at  your  old  home  I  hope  to 
hear  from  you  oftener,  if  I  can't  see  you.  But  why  in 
the  world  can't  we  see  each  other  before  we  die  ?"  The 
main  reason  why  Mr.  Boardman  did  not  visit  Dr.  Wood, 
was  because  his  trips  between  Boston  and  New  York 
were  nearly  always  made  by  boat.  He  was  an  owner  in 
the  lines,  a  director  in  one  of  them  and  was  always  at 
home  upon  the  boats,  enjoying  their  freedom  and  pre- 
ferring them  to  the  train.  Moreover,  in  going  by  rail, 
as  he  occasionally  did,  Mrs.  Boardman  was  generally 
with  him,  often  some  of  the  boys  and,  as  he  says  in  his 
letters,  he  had  so  much  baggage,  traps  of  one  kind  and 
another,  and  generally  dogs  on  his  journeys  to  and  from 
Florida,  that  it  was  not  convenient  to  stop  over.  The 
two  friends  ever  lived  with  the  hope  of  seeing  each  other 
sometime,  a  pleasure  that  was,  however,  never  realized. 

Extracts  of  Letters  from  Dr.  Wood  to  Mr.  Boardman 

East  Windsor  Hill,  March  4, 1868. 

I  have  been  hoping  all  winter  to  see  you  here  and  give  you 
some  eggs.  I  don't  know  what  you  wish,  but  if  you  will  refer  to 
my  list  that  I  sent  you  I  will  let  you  have  anything  of  which  I 
have  duplicates  or  which  I  can  replace  if  I  have  not  duplicates.  I 
keep  the  Barred  Owl's  egg  sacred  for  you  although  urged  strongly 
to  part  with  it.  One  oologist  told  me  that  if  I  should  live  seventy- 
five  years  I  should  not  probably  find  another  about  here.  I  hope 
you  will  visit  me  the  coining  season  and  we  will  look  over  things 
and  have  a  good  time  generally. 

I  have  done  but  little  in  the  way  of  taxidermy  this  winter, 
everything  in  the  way  of  birds  has  been  scarce  except  Goshawks, 
the  first  time  in  twenty  years  that  I  have  been  able  to  get  one. 
This  winter  I  have  received  six  and  have  known  as  many  more 


230    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

killed  about  here.  They  are  the  boldest  and  most  daring  of  any 
of  our  rapacious  birds.  One  of  my  patrons  told  me  that  he  cut 
off  the  head  of  a  fowl  and  threw  it  down  and  while  fluttering 
within  a  few  feet  of  him  a  hawk  dove  and  picked  it  up,  flying  a 
few  rods  and  then  went  to  eating  it.  He  shot  it  and  it  proved  to 
be  the  Goshawk.  Another  told  me  that  a  hawk  pursued  one  of 
his  hens  into  the  back  part  of  his  house,  through  the  door  that 
was  open.  His  wife  placed  herself  in  the  doorway  and  he  ran  to 
the  rescue  of  his  fowl  with  a  stick.  The  hawk  evading  the  blow 
attempted  to  fly  out  of  the  door  and  was  seized  by  the  good  dame 
and  dispatched  without  court  or  jury — regular  lynch  law.  Have 
you  duplicate  eggs  of  them? 

I  have  obtained  one  Snowy  Owl  —  the  first  in  three  seasons. 
This  was  killed  some  sixteen  miles  to  the  west  of  here  and  sent  to 
me.  I  caught  the  young  of  the  Crested  Grebe  (the  adult  never 
comes  here)  and  hoped  to  keep  him  alive  until  in  full  plumage. 
There  is  a  small  stream  some  two  miles  above  my  office  over 
which  is  built  a  blacksmith  shop  and  at  this  part  of  the  brook  are 
springs  which  never  freeze.  I  made  arrangements  with  the  black- 
smith to  take  care  of  him.  He  fastened  a  cord  some  two  rods 
long  to  his  leg  so  that  he  could  swim  under  the  shop  or  outside  at 
his  pleasure.  He  became  quite  tame,  but  unfortunately  one  night 
he  got  hung  by  his  cord  and  was  found  dead  in  the  morning.  I 
kept  him  about  two  weeks  in  this  brook  and  if  he  had  lived  I 
should  have  made  a  fence  along  its  bank  for  a  few  rods  with  a 
sieve  at  the  outlet  so  that  he  could  not  get  out.  One  very  cold 
night  the  blacksmith  carried  him  into  his  cellar  and  gave  him 
bread  crumbs  to  eat.  He  said  they  were  all  gone  in  the  morning. 
Did  the  grebe  eat  them?  He  used  to  throw  corn  in  the  brook  and 
that  would  all  be  eaten  up.  He  said  the  grebe  ate  it !  Can  that 
be  so  or  did  something  else  eat  it  up?  I  asked  him  if  he  was  sure 
that  the  bird  ate  it?  He  said,  "  Yes,  for  there  is  nothing  else  to 
eat.  I  throw  into  the  brook  a  handful  of  corn  every  morning  and 
when  I  come  out  after  a  while  it  is  all  gone.''  If  the  bird  had 
lived  I  should  have  satisfied  myself  upon  that  point.  Perhaps 
you  can  give  me  positive  information  on  the  subject  as  no  doubt 
the  grebe  is  common  with  you  but  is  seldom  seen  hei-e. 


CORRESPONDENCE  231 

November  6,  18GS. 

Winter  has  begun  in  good  earnest.  We  have  had  two  snow- 
storms but  not  much  of  depth.  The  winter  birds  have  begun  to 
make  their  appearance  and  some  varieties  that  have  not  been 
seen  for  many  years  are  here.  The  Goshawk  is  about  again  this 
year.  I  have  just  received  a  very  fine  specimen  —  this  is  the  third 
takcu  within  a  short  time  near  here.  I  have  received  two  speci- 
mens of  the  White-winged  Crossbill  within  a  few  days  —  a  very 
rare  bird  here.  I  have  not  known  one  here  before  for  fifteen 
years.  That  season  they  were  very  abundant.  Two  specimens  of 
the  Pine  Grosbeak  were  shot  on  Talcott  mountain  this  week,  but 
fell  into  the  hands  of  a  naturalist  in  Hartford  so  I  did  not  get  hold 
of  them. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  the  Rough-legged  Falcon  and 
Black  Hawk.  I  have  corresponded  with  several  ornithologists 
upon  the  subject  who  have  had  the  best  opportunities  to  know. 
Win.  Cooper  of  Quebec,  who  is  a  thorough  naturalist,  says  that  he 
has  been  investigating  the  subject  for  years  and  is  very  positive 
that  they  are  identical.  He  says  if  they  are  distinct  why  has  not 
some  oologist  been  able  to  identify  the  eggs  of  the  Black  Hawk? 
I  may  be  wrong  in  considering  the  black  the  adult  —  it  may  be 
the  young.  I  think  they  are  the  same  bird.  The  size,  form, 
habits  and  everything  pertaining  to  them  are  the  same.  The 
markings  from  light  to  dark  or  dark  to  light  run  into  each  other 
and  are  as  noticeable  as  the  changes  of  the  Goshawk.  The  fact 
that  the  Rough-legged  is  abundant  in  some  sections  and  no  Black 
hawk  and  vice  versa,  is  no  proof  against  their  being  identical.  We 
see  the  same  thing  in  many  varieties  of  birds.  The  young  of  the 
Red-throated  Diver  is  very  abundant  in  Long  Island  Sound,  yet 
the  adult  bird  is  never  seen  there.  The  young  of  the  Crested 
Grebe  is  found  here ;  the  adult  never. 

February  4,  1869. 
I  shot  a  splendid  male  Golden-eyed  Duck  last  Friday  but  lost 
him  under  the  ice.  The  Scantio  river  empties  into  Connecticut 
river  a  short  way  above  here  and  being  a  quick  stream  and  dirty, 
cuts  quite  a  strip  open  in  the  Connecticut  long  before  the  ice 
breaks  up.  Friday  being  a  beautiful  warm  day  I  took  my  gun 
and  went  to  this  "  ope."    I  found  it  open  some  three  miles  on  the 


232    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Connecticut  and  six  rods  wide.  I  saw  a  Golden-eye  some  way 
above  and  attempted  to  get  up  to  it  by  running  when  it  was  under 
the  water.  At  my  second  run  the  snow  gave  way,  throwing  me 
headlong  and  running  my  gun  barrel  nearly  its  whole  length  into 
the  snow.  After  getting  my  shooting  iron  in  order  my  game  was 
gone.  Proceeding  farther  down  I  saw  two  more  and  after  several 
hours  I  succeeded  in  shooting  one.  I  took  out  my  line  (which  I 
always  carry  to  throw  over  game  in  the  river)  and  attaching  a 
club,  threw  it  over  the  duck  but  it  was  not  heavy  enough  to  hold 
the  specimen.  Pulling  in  my  cord  I  found  it  twisted  and  knotted 
into  every  conceivable  "tie  up"  imaginable  and  before  I  could 
get  my  line  in  working  order  the  bird  was  some  one-half  mile 
below.  Overtaking  it  by  a  high  clay  bank  and  seeing  it  near  the 
shore  I  attempted  to  descend — slip,  slip,  and  down  I  went  into  the 
mud  and  soft  clay  and  did  not  stop  until  I  fetched  up  in  aqua 
fortis.  Fortunately  it  was  not  deep  enough  to  seriously  wet  me. 
Before  I  could  extricate  myself  from  the  clay  my  bird  was  again 
below  me  and  out  of  reach. 

Determined  to  have  it  as  it  was  a  splendid  male  specimen,  I 
followed  to  the  end  of  the  "ope"  (three  miles),  thinking  I 
should  certainly  get  it  then,  but  what  was  my  disappointment  to 
see  it  disappear  under  the  ice !  The  first  male  specimen  I  ever 
got  I  swam  into  the  Connecticut  river  after  in  December  when 
there  was  ice  on  the  shore. 

July  15,  1869. 
Last  week  I  heard  of  a  man  in  Massachusetts  who  had  found 
the  nest  of  the  Great  Horned  Owl  with  two  eggs.  I  thought  I 
would  see  if  I  could  not  be  as  smart  as  some  folks  in  Maine  who 
go  wading  through  swamps  in  a  drenching  rain  to  get  the  egg  of 
the  Broad-winged  Hawk!  I  immediately  dispatched  a  man  for 
them  so  as  to  be  sure  of  getting  No.  48  for  G.  A.  B.  But  judge  of 
my  disappointment  after  sending  a  man  fifty  miles,  twenty  in  a 
wagon  and  thirty  in  the  cars,  to  find  that  Amherst  College  had 
got  the  start  of  me  and  procured  the  eggs !  It  is  the  most  difficult 
egg  to  get  that  is  to  be  found  in  this  section.  I  think  I  mentioned 
in  one  of  my  letters  that  one  of  my  collectors  found  a  nest  with 
young  in  it  this  season.  I  told  him  not  to  disturb  it,  hoping  to  get 
the  eggs  next  year.    The  first  egg  I  get  you  shall   have.    I  never 


CORRESPONDENCE  233 

have  been  able  to  get  but  one  egg.  The  man  who  found  the  nest 
saw  the  old  bird  on  and  supposing  it  was  a  hawk  which  had  made 
himself  quite  at  home  among  his  chickens,  fired  into  the  nest  aud 
out  came  the  owl,  winged.  He  then  climbed  the  tree  and  found 
five  eggs,  four  of  which  were  broken  to  pieces ;  the  good  egg  lie 
gave  me.  The  nest  I  think  must  have  been  in  quite  an  unusual 
place.  It  was  in  a  cluster  of  small  yellow  pines  not  more  than 
thirty  or  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  Duck-hawk's  eggs 
which  Allen  told  you  about  I  have.  They  are  all  marked  very 
much  like  the  egg  of  the  Fish-hawk  and  are  considerably  larger 
than  the  egg  you  let  me  have. 

I  hope  your  son  will  secure  a  good  lot  of  eggs  in  Vermont. 
The  Hawk  Owl  nests  there,  I  am  told,  abundantly,  in  some  sections 
and  the  Bald  Eagle  nests  about  Lake  Champlain.  A  gentleman 
who  visited  there  told  me  that  several  pairs  have  nested  there  for 
many  years.  I  want  very  much  to  get  the  Eagle's  eggs.  One  of 
my  hunters  who  went  to  Michigan  some  four  years  since  found 
the  nest  of  the  Bald  Eagle  aud  climbed  to  it,  and  found  three 
eggs  in  it.  He  said  he  thought  he  would  let  it  be  three  or  four 
days  longer  and  get  four  or  five  eggs.  He  waited  and  went  to  it 
agaiu  and  found  the  nest  robbed  and  torn  down.  I  think  I  should 
not  have  felt  very  badly  if  he  had  taken  the  three  without  waiting 
for  more.    So  it  is  one  disappointment  after  another. 

November  29,  1872. 
You  ask  why  it  is  that  most  all  naturalists  are  doctors.  I 
have  often  asked  myself  the  same  question  when  looking  over  the 
Naturalist's  directory  and  seeing  who  are  the  contributors  to  the 
Naturalist.  I  suppose  it  may  be  accounted  for  in  two  or  three 
ways.  In  the  first  place  our  preliminary  studies  have  a  tendency 
to  develop  a  taste  for  the  sciences.  Second,  our  rides  through 
woods  and  by  streams  every  day  of  our  lives  lead  us  to  observe 
everything  in  the  vegetable  and  animal  world  to  relieve  us  from 
care  and  we  soon  become  interested  in  some  department  of  science ; 
and  again,  we  can  collect  ourselves  and  being  acquainted  over  a 
large  circuit  we  can  interest  very  many  persons  and  get  them  to 
collect  for  us.  Every  Indian  relic  aud  every  rare  bird  or  animal 
or  egg  that  is  found  within  ten  miles  of  me  is  surely  brought  to 
my  office.     I  have  just  mounted  a  splendid  otter  that  was  killed 


234     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

within  one  mile  of  my  office.  It  is  the  only  one  that  has  been 
taken  in  this  town  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitants. 
Are  they  common  with  you?  We  have  been  trying  for  the  past 
three  weeks  to  shoot  a  white  crow  which  has  been  in  our  meadows 
but  without  success. 

I  made  quite  an  exchange  of  eggs  with  Herrick  after  his 
return  from  his  northern  trip.  I  have  lately  made  an  exchange 
with  Bendire  and  hope  to  get  his  entire  collection  of  about  3,000 
eggs.  I  have  made  him  a  liberal  offer  and  am  now  expecting  an 
answer.  It  takes  over  six  weeks  for  a  letter  to  go  and  return 
from  his  camp  and  that  time  will  be  up  next  week. 

November  18, 1879. 
The  bird  which  I  wrote  you  about  at  Bolton  Reservoir  which 
I  guessed  was  the  Black  Vulture  is  no  such  bird.  I  went  in  com- 
pany with  five  of  my  hunters  and  succeeded  in  capturing  him.  It 
is  a  salt  water  bird,  probably  abundant  in  your  section  but  entirely 
new  to  this  locality.  It  was  the  Double-crested  Cormorant.  We 
had  an  exciting  time  in  getting  him.  It  had  been  shot  at  so  often 
that  it  was  very  wild.  We  could  not  get  within  eighty  rods  of 
him.  When  he  started,  would  fly  the  length  of  the  reservoir  — 
three  miles.  Four  of  us  lay  concealed  while  one  in  the  boat  kept 
the  bird  going  to  and  fro,  very  high  up.  He  was  at  last  winged 
and  I  assure  you  he  was  equal  to  a  Loon  to  dive.  Last  Monday  a 
beautiful  adult  Golden  Eagle  was  brought  me,  the  first  adult  bird 
that  ever  I  have  known  in  this  locality.  I  have  seen  only  two 
immature  birds  killed  in  this  vicinity  in  thirty  years.  This  bird 
captured  himself.  A  gentleman  was  driving  in  the  highway 
through  a  piece  of  woods  within  four  miles  of  my  office  and 
discovered  this  bird  sitting  in  the  road.  On  approaching  him  he 
discovered  that  the  bird  could  not  fly;  that  his  wing  was  broken 
near  its  body.  I  have  mounted  the  bird.  There  was  no  shot,  no 
blood  about  the  bird.  How  came  it  so?  I  think  the  wing  must 
have  hit  a  limb.    It  had  just  been  done. 


CORRESPONDENCE  235 

Letters  from   Mr.  Boardman  to  Dr.   Wood 

Milltown,  27  March,  18GG. 
Dear  Doctor: 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  March  20  and  ain  glad  to 
hear  from  you. 

I  have  just  returned  with  my  wife  from  quite  a  long  trip  down 
your  way.  We  went  as  far  as  Washington,  visited  the  bird  men 
in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Washington. 
Were  absent  about  five  weeks.  I  saw  many  fine  collections  of 
birds  and  eggs  but  since  I  have  got  home  I  believe  I  like  my  own 
little  local  collection  better  than  any  I  saw.  I  came  very  near 
making  you  a  call,  and  had  Mrs.  Boardman  not  been  with  me, 
think  I  should  have  done  so.  But  Mrs.  Boardman  said  I  had 
seen  enough  for  one  visit  and  I  thought  she  was  about  right.  It 
would  not  do  to  see  everything  in  one  visit.  I  hope,  however, 
before  very  long  to  be  New  York  way  again. 

I  saw  quite  a  lot  of  new  things  at  the  Smithsonian  which  they 
had  received  from  Kennicott's  expedition  siuce  my  last  visit  there 
a  few  years  ago.  Some  of  their  eggs  I  think  very  good.  The 
skins  were  poorly  done  up,  about  the  whole  value  of  them  was 
the  labels ;  as  for  specimens  they  were  not  worth  fifty  cents  a 
bushel. 

I  took  tea  with  Dr.  Brewer  of  Boston  and  looked  over  his 
collection.  It  is  very  large  and  nice.  lie  is  getting  out  a  new 
work,  the  second  part  of  his  American  Oology,  to  be  published  by 
the  Smithsonian.  The  drawings  are  very  good,  mostly  of  the 
smaller  birds.  I  hope  they  will  soon  publish  the  work.  It  has 
been  so  long  since  they  published  the  first  part  I  should  be  afraid 
the  first  eggs  would  spoil,  and  the  doctor  told  me  they  have  found 
out  that  some  plates  in  the  first  part  were  not  correctly  colored. 

I  have  just  had  a  call  to  go  up  to  Fredericton  for  about  a 
week.  Some  of  the  English  officers  are  quite  good  collectors. 
The  governor  of  the  Province  is  a  good  naturalist  and  is  a  pleas- 
ant correspondent.  lie  goes  in  for  live  things  and  has  quite  a 
menagerie  of  bears,  beavers,  foxes,  squirrels,  hedgehogs,  etc.  He 
sends  live  things  to  the  public  gardens  in  London.  I  have  found 
nothing  new  in  the  way  of  birds  or  eggs  this  winter.     I  have  had 


236    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

some  dispute  with  the  bird  men  about  the  Black  Guillemot  chang- 
ing its  plumage  in  winter.  All  the  books  say  it  does.  Not  long 
since  Dr.  Coues  wrote  a  paper  to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 
in  Philadelphia  about  the  subject,  which  would  be  all  very  nice  if 
true.  I  get  the  birds  any  time  in  winter  in  full  black  plumage. 
Hoping  to  hear  from  you  always  at  your  convenience,  I  am 
Yours  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  28  January,  1867. 
Dear  Dr.  Wood: 

I  last  night  received  your  letter  of  January  19  —  one  week 
on  the  passage.  I  am  very  glad  you  are  all  right  again.  I  have 
been  thinking  about  you  for  some  time  and  was  afraid  you  might 
have  had  more  trouble  with  your  head,  but  know  it  is  all  right 
when  you  can  be  interested  in  birds  and  eggs. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  your  collection  of  mounted  birds. 
I  have  no  doubt  it  is  very  fine,  but  until  I  see  it,  I  shall  hardly 
believe  it  as  good  as  mine.  I  think  I  can  beat  you  upon  water 
birds,  rare  ducks,  grebes,  geese,  waders,  etc.  I  have  them  in  dif- 
ferent plumage,  and  of  many  of  them  the  chicks.  We  have  a  good 
chance  for  water  birds.  My  eagles,  hawks  and  owls  are  hard 
to  beat.  I  have  fifteen  different  kinds  of  hawks  and  ten  of  owls, 
of  our  locality,  all  nicely  mounted.  Amongst  them  are  three  Gyr- 
falcons  and  five  Duck  Hawks,  done  up  in  different  attitudes  and 
plumage ;  seven  very  fine  eagles,  Golden  and  White-head,  done  the 
same  way;  my  small  birds  are  very  good.  I  have  also  some  very 
fine  horns,  heads,  etc. ;  heads  of  deer,  caribou,  moose  and  some 
African  horns,  heads,  etc.  I  only  mention  those  to  see  if  I  can- 
not induce  you  some  time  to  take  a  trip  down  East.  Besides,  I 
have  some  very  good  eggs,  but  1  do  not  care  so  much  for  eggs  as 
for  birds.  1  think  a  good  collection  of  horns  very  interesting.  I 
have  moose  horns  that  weigh  about  fifty  pounds,  five  feet  wide 
with  thirty-eight  points  upon  them ;  caribou  horns  with  thirty- 
five  points,  etc.  I  think  you  must  come!  How  about  the  snow 
storm?  We  can  beat  you  at  that.  The  first  mail  we  have  had 
since  the  17th  of  January,  a  week  ago  Thursday,  ten  days,  was 
yesterday.  We  get  telegraph  news  every  day,  as  the  snow  is  not 
quite  over  the  telegraph  poles,  but  it  is  very  deep.     I  want  very 


CORRESPONDENCE  237 

much  to  go  to  the  logging  woods  to  spend  a  week  or  so,  but  am 
afraid  to  sleep  iu  the  camps,  as  I  might  take  cold.  Prof.  Baird  is 
a  great  fellow  for  sets  of  eggs.  These  big  society  folks  will  take 
all  they  cau  get,  the  most  of  them  by  sets  or  auy  other  way  aud 
if  we  waut  auy  sets  of  them  they  come  very  slow.  However, 
I  suppose  we  private  folks  are  not  of  so  much  consequence  as  big 
European  and  other  societies.  I  get  letters  every  few  weeks  from 
Prof.  Baird.  He  has  a  big  lot  of  things  from  the  Arctic  regions, 
he  says  over  100,000  specimens.  I  am  getting  some  winter  birds' 
skins  for  them,  also  a  lot  of  sternums  (breast  bones  of  birds)  aud 
hope  we  shall  get  a  good  lot  of  things  from  him  when  he  has 
time  to  wait  upon  us.  I  got  a  good  box,  however,  last  spring  and 
expect,  if  I  get  time,  to  go  again,  say  the  last  of  March  and  see 
what  he  has  that  is  new. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  the  Wood  Pewee.  They  are  very 
hard  to  And  with  us.  They  build  iu  the  deep  woods.  I  never  got 
but  one  or  two.  Do  you  keep  nests  as  well  as  birds  in  auy  quan- 
tities? 1  think  they  are  very  interesting  and  some  of  them  are 
very  pretty,  the  Wood  Pewee  and  Thistle-bird  aud  many  of  the 
warblers.  I  had  a  nest  and  eggs  sent  me  called  the  Golden- 
crowned  Wren,  with  a  very  pretty  nest,  nearly  one  inch  thick, 
made  of  pretty  green  moss.  I  used  to  throw  away  the  nests,  not 
having  a  good  place  in  which  to  keep  them  and  besides,  they 
made  a  great  deal  of  dirt ;  moths  would  eat  the  feathers  and  liniug, 
but  my  glass  top  boxes  keep  them  very  close.  I  have  only  saved 
a  very  few  and  am  very  sorry  I  have  no  more.  I  must  collect 
nests  next  year.  I  am  sorry  your  Miss  Pewee  got  killed.  I  did 
not  know  they  would  build  again  in  the  same  place  when  they 
were  disturbed.  Many  birds,  by  taking  all  their  eggs  but  one, 
will  continue  to  lay  a  large  number.  The  little  Bed  Owl  and 
Sparrow  Hawk  will  do  so,  as  well  as  many  of  the  Woodpeckers. 

I  did  not  go  after  the  big  Heron's  eggs,  I  was  very  busy,  aud 
they  build  on  6o  high  trees  I  did  not  feel  like  undertaking  the  job. 
I  had  quite  a  task  getting  a  Duck  Hawk's  eggs.  I  went  about 
sixty  miles,  half  the  way  in  boats.  There  were  two  nests  and  I 
must  try  to  get  one  more  this  spring.  Were  it  not  for  the  fun  of 
such  an  excursion  they  would  cost  more  than  they  come  to.  I  was 
gone  over  a  week  with  quite  an  expensive  crew.    They  breed  very 


238    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

early  arid  most  other  birds  of  their  class,  raven  and  eagles,  breed 
at  the  same  time.  I  did  not  get  any  small  birds'  eggs  on  that 
trip.  Last  year  I  did  not  try  so  hard  as  usual  to  get  eggs.  I  thiuk 
I  am  losing  my  interest  for  birds  and  eggs.  I  have  the  birds  very 
well  up,  but  somehow  the  eggs  come  slowly.  Hawks'  eggs  I  have 
got  very  well,  but  of  owls  I  have  only  five  species,  and  one  of 
them  does  not  belong  here  —  Barn  Owl. 

I  notice  what  you  say  about  exchanging.  I  think  perhaps 
I  might  have  some  rare  sea  birds'  eggs  which  you  have  not,  as  I 
have  received  some  good  ones  from  Labrador  most  every  year, 
but  I  have  forgotten  what  you  had  on  your  list.  If  you  will  send 
the  numbers  you  want,  and  the  numbers  of  your  duplicates  you 
have  to  spare,  when  you  have  time  to  look  through  them,  I  would 
like  to  have  you  do  so.  There  are  a  number  of  the  officers  at 
Fredericton  who  make  collections  and  do  not  get  many  eggs  of 
some  of  your  breeders.  They  always  want  hawks  and  owls  such 
as  do  not  breed  this  way  often.  But  I  have  been  writing  much 
longer  than  I  intended  and  remain, 

Very  truly  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Milltown,  Nov.  17,  18G8. 
My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  received  your  welcome  letter  of  November  6  and  am  always 
glad  to  hear  from  you.  The  eggs  came  along  all  right,  but  I  have 
been  away  most  of  the  time  since  I  wrote  you  and  have  only 
opened  the  box.  I  hope  to  get  time  to  send  the  Yellow  Ited-poll's, 
as  1  have  a  full  nest.    I  can  send  them  by  mail. 

I  did  not  go  to  New  York  on  my  last  trip,  so  did  not  go  by 
you.  If  I  go  south  this  winter  1  shall  go  the  last  of  next  month, 
shall  probably  take  my  family,  in  which  case  I  should  not  care  to 
stop.    Besides,  I  should  probably  go  by  the  Sound  boats. 

We  are  having  winter  very  early.  The  ponds  are  frozen  so 
hard  the  boys  have  had  good  skating.  We  have  now  pretty  fair 
sleighing  with  three  to  four  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground.  White- 
winged  Crossbills  are  quite  common  about  my  trees  and  I  have 
seen  a  few  Pine  Grosbeaks.  Those  witli  Goshawks  are  our  com- 
mon winter  birds. 


CORRESPONDENCE  239 

I  do  not  think  we  know  all  about  the  Black  and  Rough-legged 
Hawk  yet.  I  do  not  say  they  are  uot  the  same  but  I  am  a  great 
way  from  being  convinced  and  I  have  taken  some  pains  to  corre- 
spond with  some  good  ornithologists,  long  ago,  who  1  will  not  say 
have  had  the  best  opportunities  for  knowing,  perhaps  not  so  good 
as  those  of  your  friends.  One  of  them  lived  north  where  they  are 
common,  where  they  were  the  most  abundant  hawk,  and  where  it 
was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  dozen  flying  about  at  the 
same  time,  for  ten  years.  He  said  that  in  his  locality  in  1862-G3, 
sixty  nests  were  taken.  I  have  a  very  minute  description  of  eggs, 
nests,  birds  young  and  old.  They  breed  very  late.  He  says  this 
hawk  varies  more  in  the  shading  of  its  coloring  than  any  other 
hawk.  The  female  is  generally  lightest,  and  a  very  old  bird  nearly 
gray.  The  young  with  backs  light  brown,  dark  band  across  the 
belly,  under  parts  white  with  a  few  spots,  but  he  says  he  never 
saw  a  black  hawk,  young  or  old,  in  all  his  residence  among  them. 

Now  I  would  like  to  ask  your  friends  who  have  had  the  best 
of  opportunities  to  know,  this  question :  That  in  taking  this  hawk 
from  the  nest  in  dozens  of  instances  if  they  ever  took  a  black 
one,  young  or  old?  If  they  ever  saw  an  old  black  hawk  feeding  a 
brood  of  young  Rough  Legs,  or  vice  versa?  You  say  the  fact  of 
the  Rough-leg  being  abundant  in  some  places,  and  no  black  hawks, 
is  no  proof  of  their  being  identical.  I  do  not  say  it  is  positive,  but 
it  is  good  prima  facie  evidence.  When  a  good  collector  has  lived 
among  them  a  long  time,  taken  dozens  of  nests  of  old  birds,  of  eggs 
and  of  young,  and  there  was  uot  one  black  in  all  the  male,  female, 
or  young,  what  do  you  say  ?  But  this  is  no  proof  because,  as  Mr. 
Cooper  asks:  "  Why  has  not  some  oologist  found  the  eggs?"  I 
suppose  he  would  say  Leach's  and  Wilsou's  petrels  are  the  same 
because  no  oologist  has  ever  found  the  eggs  of  the  Wilson. 

You  also  instance  the  Red-throated  Loon  in  adult  plumage; 
also  the  Grebe  as  never  being  found  in  your  latitude.  The  old 
birds  are  with  you  just  as  much  as  the  young.  They  go  south  as 
regular  as  wild  geese  but  not  in  breeding  pluruage  except  in 
spring.  I  saw  one  Red-throat  killed  in  Long  Island  Sound  last 
April,  with  the  throat  most  changed  to  red.  All  ornithologists, 
European  and  American,  say  the  American  and  European  rough-leg 
are  one  and  the  same  bird.  I  have  sent  black  hawk  skins  to  the 
best  ornithologist  in  London,  who  says  they  have  nothing  like  it 


240     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

aud  the  Rough-leg  never  has  any  such  changes.  I  have  quite  an 
exchange  of  different  kinds  of  birds  for  examination  with  ray 
English  friends.  I  can  see  no  difference  in  the  Rough-legged, 
Duck  Hawk,  or  Fish  Hawk ;  the  Goshawk  has  different  markings, 
but  its  form,  size,  etc.,  are  the  same ;  Mr.  Audubon  called  them  the 
same.  He  also  called  the  Rough-legged  and  Black  Hawk  the  same 
with  the  remark,  that  "  the  old  bird  grew  very  dark." 

Now  my  informant  says  the  older  the  bird  is  the  lighter  is  its 
color.  They  have  the  eggs  of  the  Black  Hawk  at  the  Smithsonian, 
said  to  be  authenticated  and  taken  by  good  collectors  aud  natural- 
ists and  figured  in  the  Smithsonian  Oology  by  Brewer.  But  that 
would  not  prove  them  different  as  many  birds  breed  in  immature 
plumage ;  many  of  the  hawks,  eagles,  ducks,  etc.  So  if  it  was  the 
young  it  might  do  that.  1  am  very  sure  from  what  information  I 
can  get  it  is  not  the  old,  as  many  of  the  ornithologists  have 
thought.  Dr.  Richardson  found  it  breeding  (the  Black  Hawk) 
on  the  Saskatchewan,  but  they  are  quite  rare,  while  the  common 
Rough-legged  is  quite  plenty.  The  Labrador  folks  report  the 
Black  Hawk  quite  common,  but  one  sent  me  was  a  young,  very 
dark  Gyrfalcon  and  might  not  be  the  bird  we  are  talking  about  at 
all. 

Do  not  think  I  am  writing  all  this  to  make  you  believe  they 
are  two,  only  to  give  you  some  information  why  they  have  been 
considered  distinct.  I  asked  Prof.  Baird  a  year  or  two  ago  and  he 
would  not  commit  himself.  He  was  in  doubt  about  their  being 
two,  as  I  thought  at  the  time.  Cassin  thinks  they  are  two.  The 
young  of  all  hawks  are  very  much  the  most  numerous.  With  the 
Marsh  Hawk  I  get  twenty  young  to  one  old,  while  the  same  is 
true  of  most  Hawks.  Now  if  the  Black  bird  is  the  immature  one 
how  does  it  happen  there  are  ten  Rough-legged  to  one  black, 
which  I  think  is  the  case  all  through  the  eastern  states. 

I  have  written  in  such  a  hurry  I  do  not  know  as  you  will 
understand  me.  If  you  have  any  new  ideas  about  this  interesting 
subject  I  should  like  to  have  them.  There  have  been  Bohemian 
Chatterers  or  Winter  Waxwings  in  my  garden  today.  They  are  a 
very  pretty  bird.  My  son  saw  them  but  did  not  shoot  them.  I 
think  I  had  better  close  up  as  I  know  you  will  be  tired  of  this  long 
scrawl.    So  good  night.  Yours  as  ever, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


CORRESPONDENCE  241 

Milltown,  16  May,  1869. 
Friend  Wood: 

I  have  only  been  home  a  few  days  and  have  been  so  busy  I 
have  had  but  little  time  to  look  after  birds  or  eggs.  I  find  after 
my  long  absence  everything  right  at  my  house.  The  mills  are 
now  sawing  lumber  so  fast  1  find  I  shall  be  obliged  to  go  west 
again  this  week  to  be  gone  a  couple  of  weeks.  I  wrote  my  folks 
to  be  on  the  lookout  for  eggs,  as  I  wanted  a  Broad-wing's  nest  for 
you.  On  one  of  the  hottest  days,  almost,  you  ever  saw,  an  Indian 
came  and  said  he  had  found  the  Broad-wing's  nest,  that  he  was 
going  up  river  next  day  and  I  must  go  that  day,  or  lose  it.  I  was 
busy,  the  rain  was  a  heavy  one  in  which  to  ride  five  miles,  then  go 
into  a  swamp  I  did  not  know  how  far  —  it  was  almost  too  much 
for  me.  I  would  have  sent  the  Indian  back,  but  we  have  so  many 
hawks  I  wanted  to  see  the  bird  so  we  started.  We  were  in  a  good 
covered  carriage,  had  good  rubbers  and  umbrellas.  We  rode  as 
far  as  we  could  go  with  the  horse  and  then  started  on  foot.  Found 
the  tree  in  a  thick  swamp,  after  a  long  walk  and  were  as  wet  as 
drowned  rats.  The  Indian  started  up  the  tree  and  away  flew  the 
hawk.  It  was  a  Broad-winged.  The  gun,  however,  would  not 
go,  so  we  lost  the  bird,  and  after  all  our  trouble  there  was  only 
one  egg.  I  concluded  to  take  it  as  I  do  not  think  I  could  ever 
find  the  place  again,  and  an  egg  in  the  hand  is  as  good  as  three  in 
the  woods.  So  I  hope  you  may  get  it  in  good  order  and  every 
time  you  see  it,  remember  what  a  wetting  we  got  for  one  hawk's 
egg.  At  any  rate  I  shall  not  go  egging  again  when  it  rains  hard, 
if  I  can  help  it. 

I  don't  think  of  any  other  eggs  I  have  that  you  want  and  I 
may  take  this  one  along  with  me  and  send  it  by  express  from  Bos- 
ton or  New  York.  Baird  told  me  he  had  sent  you  a  lot  of  eggs. 
Did  he  send  you  some  good  ones?  He  is  coming  down  this  way 
again  to  spend  his  vacation  with  me  with  his  wife  and  daughter. 
He  has,  you  know,  a  soft  place  in  his  heai't  that  runs  to  birds  and 
eggs,  but  a  softer  one  still  that  runs  to  old  Indian  shell  heaps 
and  mounds  and  I  suppose  he  will  be  into  them  all  the  time  he  is 
here.  I  think  I  wrote  you  I  did  not  see  your  friend  Dr.  Wilson. 
He  is  doing  well  and  is  mayor  of  Darien.  I  saw  Allen  quite  a 
number  of  times  in  Florida,  also  young  Maynard  and  several 
other  collectors.  Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman, 


242    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Calais,  Me.,  Aug.  25,  1869. 
Dear  Doctor: 

I  received  your  Indian  historical  epistle  about  a  week  ago 
for  which  I  am  much  obliged.  I  have  read  the  history  of  those 
old  Indian  chaps  long  ago  but  the  dates  are  very  interesting,  as  I 
had  forgotten  them.  I  hope  that  Prof.  Baird  may  find  all  the 
places  you  mention  with  the  relics  all  labeled  and  dated. 

Prof.  Baird  and  myself  have  been  around  having  a  pretty  good 
time.  He  is  now  over  to  Grand  Manan.  I  expect  him  back  in  a 
day  or  two.  I  started  twice  to  go  over  with  him  but  the  fog  and 
head  winds  detained  us.  I  left  him  at  Eastport.  He  got  a  chance 
over  in  the  revenue  boat  and  went  over  without  me.  I  gave  him 
good  letters  to  my  friends  and  hope  he  may  find  some  good 
things.  He  will  probably  find  the  bones  of  the  Great  Auk,  also 
bones  of  the  Walrus,  as  they  were  said  to  inhabit  this  coast  a 
few  hundred  years  ago.  If  he  finds  anything  new  or  rare  I  will 
report  when  I  write  you  again. 

I  believe  I  wrote  you  I  had  added  two  new  birds  to  my  list 
since  he  has  been  here,  a  Black  Vulture  and  a  Purple  Gallinule. 
I  think  they  must  have  followed  the  Professor  up,  although  he 
says  he  never  knew  either  of  them  taken  about  Washington.  We 
have  a  little  muddy  lake  about  two  miles  from  where  I  live  where 
several  kinds  of  grebes  breed.  They  breed  very  late  —  some  of 
the  small  ones.  I  was  out  with  the  Professor  to  try  to  get  some 
chicks.  I  got  two  that  I  don't  think  were  over  two  days  old.  They 
are  very  cunningly  marked  little  things  when  so  young  and  look 
very  prettily  mounted.  I  also  got  a  young  loon  about  the  size  of  a 
teal.  I  think  those  chicks  look  very  pretty  in  collections  and  I 
have  quite  a  number  of  them.  I  must  try  to  get  more  of  the  young 
grebes,  but  the  larger  ones  are  hard  to  shoot.  The  Horned  and 
Dab  Chick  are  most  common,  while  a  few  Red-necked  breed.  We 
found  some  deserted  nests,  but  no  eggs.  They  build  a  floating 
nest  among  the  rushes.  To  get  to  the  nest  we  have  to  carry  a 
canoe  some  distance  over  a  bad  road  to  the  lake. 

I  go  out  shooting  almost  every  night  after  tea  and  most 
always  get  some  ducks,  pigeons  or  partridges.  We  had  a  nice 
dinner  to-day  of  black  ducks  and  pigeons.  Snipe  and  woodcock 
are  quite  plenty,  but  I  have  no  dog  to  find  them  that  is  good  for 


CORRESPONDENCE  243 

anything.  When  the  Professor  returns  we  are  to  go  to  St.  John, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  Halifax,  etc.,  so  he  says.  Our  mills  are 
doing  but  little  now  and  I  can  get  away  very  easily.  Prince 
Edward  Island  would  be  a  good  place  to  collect  eggs  in  the 
spring  as  many  northern  birds  breed  there  that  do  not  go  across 
the  gulf.  My  paper  is  about  out  and  I  must  close. 
Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Miixtown,  Me.,  17  May,  1872. 
Friend  Wood  : 

I  received  your  letter  today  and  am  always  glad  to  hear  from 
you. 

I  have  only  been  home  from  Florida  a  few  days.  The  weather 
has  been  so  backward  I  did  not  hurry  much.  Made  quite  a  tarry 
all  the  way  north  and  saw  most  all  the  naturalist  folks  excepting 
Dr.  W.  Wood,  who  should  have  been  seen,  but  it  is  a  little  out  of 
the  way,  when  you  have  a  lot  of  women  and  extra  baggage. 

I  had  a  very  nice  pleasant  winter  at  the  south.  I  spent  seven 
weeks  on  board  a  little  steam  yacht  shooting,  fishing,  etc.,  all  the 
time.  We  went  to  the  very  head  waters  of  the  St.  Johns  river  to 
lake  Washington.  We  went  above  most  of  the  settlements  and  a 
long  way  above  where  any  hunters  go.  We  found  lots  of  bird- 
breeding  places.  One  breeding  place  was  nearly  three  miles  long, 
composed  of  egrets,  cranes,  blue  and  white  water  turkeys,  etc. 
I  wish  you  had  been  with  us,  you  would  have  had  a  nice  time.  We 
had  a  hard  time  to  keep  our  birds  away  from  the  alligators  and 
they  took  a  good  many.  Sometimes  we  would  shoot  a  bird  with 
one  barrel  and  the  alligator  with  the  other  so  as  to  get  to  the 
bird  before  it  was  lost.  I  shot  over  fifty  of  the  large  White- 
Plumed  Crane.  We  found  ducks,  turkey,  deer,  quail  and  snipe, 
quite  abundant.  I  found  on  the  Upper  St.  Johns  many  birds  quite 
new  to  me,  but  got  nothing  very  rare.  I  did  not  collect  but  a  few 
eggs  as  they  most  all  got  broken.  The  party  consisted  of  five. 
We  made  up  quite  a  number  of  skins ;  some  of  the  gents  are  hav- 
ing them  mounted  in  New  York  and  they  are  going  into  a  mounted 
collection.  I  shot  in  two  hours,  one  afternoon,  nineteen  White 
Cranes,  two  big  Blue  Cranes,  one  Wood  Ibis,  two  White  Ibis,  one 
Swallow-tailed  Hawk,  one  Gray  Squirrel  and  several  small  birds ; 


244     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

so  you  can  see  we  had  some  good  shooting.  But  the  great  shoot- 
ing was  at  alligators ;  they  were  not  spared. 

I  have  not  collected  any  eggs  for  a  year  or  two  as  I  have 
about  all  that  are  found  here.  I  have  nothing  new  of  the  bird 
kind  except  a  White  Bed-tail,  a  very  nice  pure  white  albino 
without  a  dirty  spot  on  him. 

The  season  is  very  backward,  no  leaves  on  the  trees  yet  but 
warblers  have  all  got  along,  and  I  shall  go  to  collect  a  few  if  it  is 
warm  to-day.  I  made  Baird  a  visit  on  the  way  up  as  usual.  He  is 
hard  at  work,  will  spend  the  summer  down  with  us,  or  about 
Eastport.  There  are  to  be  quite  a  lot  of  scientifics  this  way  this 
summer  and  we  hope  to  go  among  the  Islands  and  have  a  good  time. 
Yours  as  ever, 

G.  A.  BOARDMAN. 

Milltown,  20  Aug.,  1872. 
Dear  Doctor  : 

I  am  glad  to  hear  from  you.  I  have  to  answer  my  letters  as 
soon  as  I  get  them.  I  have  so  many  if  they  are  left  over  and  filed 
away  I  might  never  see  them  again. 

I  have  just  returned  from  quite  a  cruise  down  east  with  Prof. 
Baird.  We  started  with  the  ladies  for  St.  John.  Went  from  there 
to  Digby,  N.  S.,  up  the  Annapolis  valley  to  Windsor,  then  to 
Halifax,  then  to  Pictou,  and  over  to  Prince  Edward  Island ;  back 
by  way  of  Shediac  to  St.  John,  then  up  St.  John  river  to  Frederic- 
ton  and  thence  back  by  rail  home.  We  called  to  see  all  the  bird 
and  scientific  folks.  Had  a  nice  company,  very  fine  weather,  and 
all  enjoyed  ourselves  very  much.  I  see  by  the  papers  the  weather 
has  been  very  hot  west,  when  we  were  wearing  overcoats 
down  in  the  St.  Lawrence  and  were  comfortable.  We  found  some 
very  nice  folks  in  Halifax  and  would  like  to  ask  you,  doctor,  how 
it  is  that  most  all  the  naturalists  we  found  were  doctors?  We 
found  Dr.  Gilpin  of  Halifax  very  much  interested  in  collections 
and  paid  us  every  attention.  I  had  been  over  the  route  before 
and  knew  who  to  look  after,  so  went  to  show  the  professor 
what  a  nice  looking  country  there  was  down  east  in  summer.  You 
would  be  pleased  to  make  the  trip  in  hot  weather.  You  would 
see  many  birds  quite  new  to  you  for  summer  birds,  and  you 
would  miss  many  of  your  old  summer  acquaintances.  I  hope  you 
may  soon  have  the  railroad  finished  on  your  side  of  the  river. 


CORRESPONDENCE  245 

I  have  never  found  the  Pigeon  Hawk's  nest.  I  have  no  doubt 
it  breeds,  as  I  shoot  it  all  summer  and  winter.  It  no  doubt  breeds 
in  some  thick  trees  not  easily  seen  and  besides,  it  is  not  a  very 
common  hawk  with  us.  I  was  pleased  with  Allen's  papers.  I 
never  knew  of  a  sturgeon  taking  a  hook ;  they  are  not  common 
with  us,  on  our  river.  I  have  not  been  doing  much  fishing  since 
May  when  I  went  up  salmon  fishing  and  two  of  us  caught  about 
sixty.  I  have  been  shooting  considerably,  before  I  went  east  — 
woodcock,  ducks,  etc.,  but  nothing  very  new  for  my  collection. 
Did  I  write  you  I  shot  a  Vireo  Philadelphia  in  the  spring?  As 
soon  as  I  get  over  my  hurry  shall  try  to  go  up  river  on  a  little 
fishing  and  shooting  excursion  with  the  professor.  Several  of  the 
egg  collectors  have  been  this  way  and  over  to  Grand  Manan.  Do 
not  think  they  found  many  new  things.  Young  Herrick  got  some 
eagles'  eggs ;  Mayuard  and  his  friend  only  found  some  common 
things.  I  have  no  duplicate  eagles7  eggs,  only  one  nest  of  White- 
head, and  one  nest  of  Golden  Eagle ;  the  egg  of  Horned  Owl,  and 
also  Humming  bird  eggs  I  have  had  for  a  long  time.  I  have 
collected  very  few  this  season.  As  my  collection  is  about  full  I 
have  not  looked  much  after  them.  Hoping  to  hear  from  you 
often,  Boardman. 

Washington,  D.  C,  1211 1  St.,  Feby.  6, 1878. 
Dear  Doctor: 

I  believe  I  have  not  written  you  for  some  time  to  let  you 
know  of  our  doings. 

We  left  home  for  the  South  about  Christmas  but  heard  upon 
our  arrival  here  that  there  was  considerable  sickness  at  Jackson- 
ville, so  we  took  rooms  here  and  have  found  the  weather  so  very 
mild  and  everything  so  very  pleasant  we  have  about  concluded  to 
remain  here  for  the  winter,  but  if  the  weather  gets  too  rough  we 
may  go  along  further  south.  We  have  spent  so  many  winters  in 
Florida  the  change  for  a  winter  north  we  think  will  be  very 
agreeable. 

I  would  write  you  how  T  spend  most  of  my  time  but  you  will 
know  that  where  there  are  so  many  nice  libraries  and  so  very 
many  naturalist  folks  here  we  can  have  our  time  well  occupied 
and  there  is  something  all  the  time  to  interest  me.  We  go  to  the 
Capitol  very  often  when   any  of  the  great  guns  are  to  make 


246    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

speeches.  We  heard  your  Mr.  Eaton  yesterday.  He  is  quite  a  good 
speaker  and  took  the  right  side  of  the  question.  This  forenoon 
we  go  to  visit  the  Treasury.  There  is  a  house  full  of  down  east 
people  who  board  with  us.  Last  evening  they  were  at  the  Presi- 
dent's reception  and  had  a  nice  time.  I  do  some  work  at  the 
Smithsonian  for  Prof.  Baird  and  spend  considerable  of  my  time 
over  there.  Don't  you  ever  get  down  to  Washington?  Should 
be  glad  to  see  you  here  this  winter. 

I  saw  a  paper  from  you  in  a  new  Springfield  little  work  and 
am  always  glad  to  see  your  papers.  It  is  very  singular  you  never 
get  the  Black  Vulture  as  well  as  the  Turkey  Buzzard  in  your 
state  or  at  your  place.  Since  I  have  been  collecting  I  have  known 
of  six  being  taken  with  us,  besides  several  about  the  Nova  Scotia 
shore  —  very  many  more  than  of  the  common  Turkey  Buzzard.  I 
have  the  Black  Robin  I  wrote  you  about  at  the  Smithsonian,  body 
black,  wings  and  tail  white. 

Before  I  left  home  there  were  some  of  the  Bohemian  Chat- 
terers about  our  gardens  but  I  did  not  get  any.  Did  not  collect 
anything  very  new  before  I  left  although  I  got  one  little  sparrow 
or  Richardson's  Owl.  I  am  writing  in  a  hurry  as  the  ladies  are 
hurrying  me  to  go  out  with  them.  Let  me  hear  how  you  prosper. 
Hope  you  did  not  lose  the  money  you  wrote  about  as  being 
endorser  for  a  scamp.  I  have  lost  the  same  way,  to  a  very  large 
amount  and  have  a  law  suit  for  more,  that  I  may  have  to  pay,  but 
hope  I  may  beat  the  rascals  that  swear  to  anything. 
Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  23  South  13th  St..  February  2, 1883. 
My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  have  not  written  you  for  a  long  time,  and  think  it  about 
time  I  gave  you  some  account  of  my  doings. 

I  came  out  west  in  September  to  visit  my  children,  expecting 
to  go  to  California  in  the  winter,  but  my  wife  has  not  been  well 
enough  to  try  the  passage.  She  is  now  much  better  but  wre  are 
so  comfortably  settled  with  my  daughter  that  we  may  not  get 
away.  One  of  my  sons  is  with  us,  and  two  others  live  very  near, 
so  we  have  all  our  children  but  one  son  here  in  Minneapolis  and 
the  children  are  trying  all  ways  to  make  us  live  out  here  with 


CORRESPONDENCE  247 

them.  I  think  we  are  too  old  to  change.  All  our  associations  are 
east  and  to  live  here  we  should  have  to  learn  the  people  over 
again  which  would  be  hard  to  do. 

I  have  had  some  interest  in  looking  up  the  new  birds  of  this 
locality.  Many  are  common  here  that  we  seldom  or  never  see, 
such  as  Evening  Grosbeaks  and  Bohemian  Chatterers.  We  see 
them  about  the  streets  feeding  on  the  mountain  ash  berries  and 
high  bush  cranberries.  Last  fall  I  went  up  to  Dakota  for  a  time. 
One  of  my  sons  has  a  large  wheat  farm  there  and  had  a  very 
nice  time.  The  whole  country  seemed  full  of  wild  geese  and 
ducks.  We  did  not  get  many  Prairie  Chickens  as  we  had  no  good 
dog.  I  saw  great  numbers  of  hawks ;  they  were  about  in  great 
numbers  and  varieties,  Rough-legged  very  common.  Some  very 
dark  ones  —  Red-tailed,  Swainson's,  Rough-legged  and  Broad- 
winged  were  most  numerous.  Black  Vultures  and  Swallow-tailed 
hawks  were  common  in  northern  Dakota.  If  I  do  not  go  to 
California  I  hope  to  go  up  again  in  April  and  see  what  comes 
along  in  the  spring.  I  did  considerable  shooting  last  fall  but 
mostly  ducks  and  snipe.  I  did  not  get  any  very  rare  birds  for 
specimens. 

The  winter  has  been  fine  but  cold.  I  have  been  south  so 
many  winters  I  much  prefer  the  orange  groves  to  the  snow  banks 
of  Maine  or  Minnesota. 

This  is  a  very  nice  place  for  business.  Everything  goes  with 
a  rush  —  just  the  place  for  young  folks.  My  sons  like  very  much 
and  they  think  they  would  hardly  want  to  live  east.  The  place 
has  added  forty  thousand  to  its  population  since  I  was  here  three 
years  ago  and  property  has  doubled  in  value.  I  think  it  a  good 
place  to  invest.  Twenty-five  hundred  buildings  were  put  up  last 
year  at  a  cost  of  $8,500,000  and  about  the  same  in  St.  Paul.  Every 
one  is  speculating  in  real  estate  and  getting  rich  twice  a  week.  I 
don't  find  much  new  in  the  way  of  natural  history  and  very  few 
that  take  any  interest  in  such  things.  It  is  nothing  but  business. 
I  hope  you  have  something  new  to  write  me  about  that  you  have 
found  in  your  section.  There  were  three  Evening  Grosbeaks 
just  on  the  trees  near  the  house  and  they  always  keep  where  you 
are  not  allowed  to  shoot  them. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


248    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Calais,  Maine,  February  17,  1885. 
Friend  Wood: 

I  was  glad  co  hear  from  you  after  so  long  a  time  and  was 
quite  interested  in  your  paper  about  Mr.  Fitch  being  the  first 
steamboat  builder.  I  remember  of  reading  in  some  of  my  old 
books  something  of  the  kind.  It  was  in  the  reports  of  the  Com- 
missioner of  Patents  for  the  year  1859,  with  a  picture  of  Fitch's 
steamboat.  The  account  is  from  page  526  to  544,  but  I  suppose 
in  your  researches  you  have  seen  all  this.  If  you  have  not  I 
should  be  glad  to  send  you  the  book  as  it  would  be  interesting  to 
you.  Poor  Fitch  had  a  hard  time.  He  should  have  a  good  monu- 
ment to  be  remembered  by,  as  he  was  a  wonderful  man  and 
Robert  Fulton  has  always  had  the  credit  for  steamboat  invention 
which  belonged  to  Mr.  Fitch.  About  the  same  thing  was  done  by 
Morse  in  telegraphy.  Prof.  Henry  was  the  inventor  much  more 
than  Prof.  Morse  but  Morse  got  all  the  credit  and  the  money. 

1  am  glad  you  have  not  lost  your  interest  in  Natural  History 
and  hope  some  time  we  may  meet  and  talk  over  matters.  I  often 
go  to  see  the  folks  at  Central  Park  Museum.  They  are  very  nice 
people  and  I  think  they  have  about  the  nicest  collection  I  see 
any  where.  I  like  it  as  well  as  the  National  Museum  at  Washing- 
ton. There  is  also  a  very  fine  collection  at  Cambridge.  I  am  so 
often  west  and  south  I  see  them  all  most  every  year.  I  have  not 
seen  so  much  of  the  Academy  folks  at  Philadelphia  since  Cassin's 
death  and  many  of  the  young  folks  I  do  not  know.  I  called  to  see 
Mr.  Krider.  He  is  a  nice  old  fellow  and  used  to  have  a  good  col- 
lection of  skins  and  eggs  but  now  is  too  old  to  go  to  his  office  to 
do  much.  He  has  a  son  who  does  part  of  his  bird  work.  I  always 
find  a  nice  set  of  fellows  at  the  Smithsonian,  those  who  have  been 
in  government  employ  in  most  all  parts  of  the  country  and  are 
good  collectors.  They  usually  all  get  in  in  winter  except  the 
Alaskan  or  Hudson  Bay  folks  who  usually  remain  up  for  several 
years. 

Since  I  wrote  you  we  have  been  having  quite  cold  weather, 
snow  now  quite  deep,  but  February  has  only  about  ten  days  more 
and  in  March  we  expect  to  have  warm  days  once  in  a  while.  I 
like  the  orange  groves  much  better  than  the  snow  banks  and  am 
beginning  to  wish  I  was  in  Florida  or  California  where  1  could  be 
out  in  the  woods. 


q££ 


£^d^&c£<&?^ 


CORRESPONDENCE  249 

I  have  collected  nothing  of  late  but  a  few  common  gulls.    All 
our  Pine  Grosbeaks  have  left  to  go  south  and  I  hardly  see  a 
woodpecker  or  chickadee  about  the  trees. 
Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Among  the  foreign  ornithologists  with  whom  Mr. 
Boardman  corresponded  for  many  years  is  Henry  E. 
Dresser  of  London,  England.  Among  the  papers  of  Mr. 
Boardman  have  been  preserved  seventy-one  letters  from 
Mr.  Dresser,  the  first  bearing  date  of  1862  and  the  latest 
of  1874.  The  period  of  greatest  activity  in  this  corre- 
spondence was  during  the  years  1865  to  1867.  There  have 
been  examined  fourteen  letters  written  by  Mr.  Dresser 
to  Mr.  Boardman  in  1865 ;  fifteen  in  1866,  and  fourteen 
in  1867.  In  answer  to  a  request  for  letters  of  Mr.  Board- 
man  Mr.  Dresser  writes  from  London,  October  24,  1902  : 
"  I  have  hunted  high  and  low  for  letters  from  Mr.  Board- 
man  that  might  be  of  use  to  you  in  your  memoir  but  can 
find  none  or  I  would  send  them  with  pleasure."  It  is 
matter  for  regret  that  no  letters  from  Mr.  Boardman  to 
Mr.  Dresser  have  been  obtained  but  from  the  few  from 
Mr.  Dresser  which  are  given  in  this  memoir  it  is  easy 
to  infer  the  nature  of  their  correspondence  and  the  sub- 
jects upon  which  they  were  writing. 

Henry  Ecles  Dresser  was  brought  up  for  the  lumber 
business  and  after  having  been  at  school  in  Germany 
and  then  to  the  Swedish  university  at  Upsala,  where  he 
learned  that  language,  he  went  to  Finland  to  learn  the 
lumber  business.  After  acquiring  every  detail  of  the 
business  he  was  sent  out  to  the  Lancaster  mills  at  Mus- 
quash, near  St.  John,  N.  B.  It  was  while  at  Musquash 
that  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Boardman.   "  As 


250    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Mr.  Boardman  found,"  says  Mr.  Dresser  in  a  letter  of 
November  7,  1902,  "  that  I  was  working  at  ornithology 
we  became  great  friends  and  he  helped  me  a  great  deal ; 
for  though  I  knew  European  birds  well,  it  was  then  my 
first  experience  with  American  birds. ' '  After  having  had 
the  management  of  the  Lancaster  mills  for  a  year,  during 
which  time  Mr.  Dresser  installed  the  new  local  manager 
as  a  change  in  their  operation  was  necessary,  he  returned 
to  London.  While  at  Musquash  he  made  two  visits  to 
Mr.  Boardman.  In  1864  and  1865  Mr.  Dresser  visited 
Texas  and  Mexico,  studying  the  birds  of  southwestern 
America,  since  which  time  he  has  not  been  in  this 
country.  He  has,  however,  traveled  extensively  in 
Russia,  Sweden,  Lapland,  Greenland  and  in  southern 
Europe.  Mr.  Dresser  has  a  beautiful  country  house, 
Topclyffe  Grange,  at  Farnborough,  R.  S.  O.,  Kent, 
where  he  formerly  resided  and  where  Mr.  A.J.  Board- 
man,  one  of  Mr.  Boardman's  sons,  visited  him  a  few  years 
since.  He  now  lives  in  London,  however,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  steel  trade,  having  changed  from  lumber 
to  steel  when  he  last  moved  to  London  —  a  fact  which 
shows  the  change  in  the  building  trades  during  the  last 
twenty-five  years.  In  a  recent  letter  Mr.  Dresser  writes  : 
"  In  answer  to  your  question  I  would  say  that  I  have 
no  connection  with  our  universities  beyond  that  Prof. 
Newton  of  Cambridge  is  one  of  my  oldest  and  best 
friends  and  we  often  work  together.  I  am  only  an 
amateur  ornithologist  and,  like  the  smith  of  Scott's  Fair 
Maid  of  Perth,  "  I  always  fight  for  my  own  hand  only 
and  love  my  independence."  Mr.  Dresser's  writings  on 
ornithology  have  been  very  important  and  embrace  the 
following : 


CORRESPONDENCE  251 

A  History  of  the  Birds  of  Europe  (including  all  the  species 
inhabiting  the  Western  Palsearctic  region).  8  vols.  4to.  Lon- 
don, 1S71-81.  Containing  nearly  5,000  pages  of  letterpress  aud 
633  hand-colored  plates  by  Joseph  Wolf,  J.  G.  Keulemans,  and 
E.  Neale. 

A  List  of  European  Birds,  including  all  species  found  in  the 
Western  Pala3arctic  region.    Svo.     London,  1881. 

A  Monograph  of  the  Meropidae,  or  Family  of  the  Bee-eaters. 
1  vol.  Small  folio,  cloth.  London,  1884-86.  Containing  34 
hand-colored  plates  by  J.  G.  Keulemans. 

A  Monograph  of  the  Coraciidse,  or  Family  of  the  Rollers.  1 
vol.  Small  folio,  cloth.  Farnborough,  Kent,  1893.  Containing 
27  hand-colored  plates  by  J.  G.  Keulemans. 

Eversinann's  Addenda  ad  Celeberrimi  Pallasii  Zoographiam 
Rosso-Asiaticam.  Aves,  Fasc.  I.-I1I.  8vo.  Kasani,  1835^2. 
Facsimile  reprint,  edited  by  H.  E.  Dresser.    London,  1876. 

A  supplement  to  the  Birds  of  Europe.    1  vol.    1895. 

In  addition  to  the  above  works  Mr.  Dresser's  lesser 
writings  and  papers  on  ornithology  are  scattered  through 
several  scientific  periodicals  and,  as  Secretary  L,angley 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  writes  :  ' '  Are  too  numer- 
ous to  designate  by  titles.  Copies  of  all  of  them  are  in 
the  library  of  the  Institution.  One  of  the  most  important 
of  these  is  his  monograph  on  The  Birds  of  Texas  published 
in  The  Ibis  in  1865."  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Dresser  has  written  so  much  upon  his  favorite  pur- 
suit—  which  he  has  made  a  study  since  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  —  and  is  closely  devoted  to  business,  he  is 
now  writing  a  Manual  of  Palaearctic  Birds,  half  of  which 
is  printed  and  the  remainder  going  through  the  press. 
It  will  make  a  work  of  about  one  thousand  pages  and 
will  include  nearly  1300  species.  It  gives  full  particulars 
of  range,  habits,  nest  and  eggs  of  the  species.  "After 
this  wt>rk  is  completed,"   Mr.  Dresser  writes,   "I  hope 


252     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

to  bring  out  a  work  on  the  Eggs  of  the  Birds  of  Europe, 
as  a  companion  work  to  the  Birds  of  Europe."  In 
the  letter  from  Mr.  Dresser  from  which  extracts  have 
already  been  made  he  says  :  "I  have  moved  to  Iyondon 
as  my  wife  disliked  the  country ;  but  I  have  kept  the 
old  place  in  Kent  and  hope  some  day  to  return  there. 
Here  I  see  all  my  naturalist  friends  and  have  just  had 
Styan  and  Rechett,  the  explorers  in  China,  and  Selores 
the  '  mighty  hunter '  in  Africa  spending  the  afternoon 
with  me,  and  to-morrow  Lesse,  the  Abyssinian  explorer 
and  naturalist,  is  coming  to  stay  for  a  few  days  with 
me." 

The  more  than  seventy  letters  addressed  to  Mr.  Board- 
man  by  Mr.  Dresser  during  the  ten  years  of  their  cor- 
respondence are  most  entertaining  and  important.  They 
cover  a  wide  range  of  subjects  in  bird  life  and  all  are 
worthy  of  publication.  They  are  sufficient  to  make  an 
entire  volume  which  would  be  one  of  deep  interest  and  of 
scientific  value.  The  few  printed  show  Mr.  Dresser's 
charming  style  and  his  entertaining  way  of  writing. 

Letters  from  Henry  E.  Dresser,  London,  Eng.,  to  Mr. 
Boardman 

London,  the  10th  June,  1865. 
Dear  Boardman  : 

I  received  your  kind  note  of  the  19th  May  and  am  delighted 
to  see  from  it  that  the  eggs  of  M.  cucullatus  have  again  been 
found  by  you.  They  are  indeed  a  treasure  for  any  collector  as  I 
don't  know  of  any  one  who  has  thoroughly  authentic  specimens 
over  here.  I  am  still  unable  to  find  any  vessel  going  to  St.  John 
or  anywhere  near  you  and  don't  want,  if  avoidable,  to  send  to  New 
York  as  the  smashes  might  not  be  few  sending  that  way.  I  look 
every  week  at  our  Lloyds  list  of  ships  leaving  and  don't  see  one 


CORRESPONDENCE  253 

advertised  for  before  late  in  July.  I  am  however  in  the  mean- 
while picking  up  good  things  here  and  there  and  have  secured  a 
magnificent  egg  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  not  as  generally  seen, 
nearly  white,  but  richly  clouded  with  reddish.  It  arrived  with 
some  African  eggs  from  Paris  last  week  and  I  am  promised 
another  before  long  which  I  will  also  keep  for  you.  I  have  some 
more  Reeves,  Gallinules,  Coot  and  other  eggs  asked  for  by  you, 
all  in  your  drawer  waiting  a  chance  to  pack  them  up  and  also 
another  bird  or  two  but  these  latter  I  get  slower  as  I  only  want  to 
get  good  mounted  specimens  if  possible,  as  I  know  your  collection 
is  all  mounted.  I  will  send  the  quails  you  ask  for  out  of  my  Texas 
duplicates.  I  have  not  many  duplicates  of  anything,  but  whatever 
I  have  you  may  be  sure  you  shall  have  willingly.  I  should  have  had 
more  but  the  difficulty  in  bringing  back  skins  is  so  great.  Could 
you  ever  get  me  any  skins  of  the  Plumed  or  Mountain  Quail 
(O.  pictus)  and  Gambers  Quail,  as  I  have  all  but  these  two  in 
my  collection  and  would  like  the  lot  complete.  I  think  they  would 
make  a  good  case  well  mounted  with  rock  work  and  under  a  big 
shade.  As  for  the  glass  topped  boxes,  I  don't  see  any  reason  why 
I  should  not  pack  eggs  in  them,  for  even  if  there  is  duty  on  them 
it  would  be  a  trifle  and  if  sent  to  St.  John  my  brother  could  easily 
settle  that.  Anyhow,  if  I  send  via  St.  John  I  will  try  it  on  for  I 
feel  6ure  no  fuss  could  be  made  if  one  stated  how  many  boxes 
there  were  and  left  one  on  the  top  as  a  sample. 

I  think  if  you  once  began  with  this  dodge  you  would  never 
arrange  your  eggs  otherwise.  I  have  my  cabinet  arranged  now 
and  am  pleased  beyond  my  expectations. 

I  would  keep  your  Hooded  Merganser's  nest  very  close  or  you 
will  have  every  person  after  you  for  the  eggs.  I  will  gladly  give 
you  anything  you  wish  for  in  exchange  for  the  eggs  you  can 
spare,  Golden  Eagle,  Iceland  Falcon  or  indeed  anything  I  can 
procure  here  and  have  in  anticipation  written  everywhere  I  can 
think  of,  asking  for  Golden  Eagle's  eggs  —  so  must  get  some  more. 

I  was  elected  a  member  of  the  British  Ornithologists'  Union 
(the  same  that  give  out  The  Ibis)  last  week  and  am  busy  preparing 
notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Texas  for  the  press  and  will  send  you 
a  copy  of  it  as  it  comes  out  if  I  can  get  the  editor  to  have  some 
loose  copies  struck  off,  which  I  don't  doubt  of  doing.    I  give  it 


254    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

rather  lengthily,  as  I  have  lots  of  notes  taken  during  my  stay 
there  and  I  don't  think  much  is  known  of  the  birds  of  those  parts. 

I  have  had  a  lot  of  things  sent  me  lately  from  different  parts, 
but  nothing  that  you  would  care  for.  How  would  it  do  if,  when 
sending  a  box  to  you,  I  included  some  things  for  Krider,  for  I  have 
not  enough  in  large  things  to  make  it  worth  while  to  send  direct? 
I  am  saving  some  rare  Texas  skins  for  him  that  he  asked  me  for, 
Milvulus  forficatus,  Melanospeza  Lincolnii,  etc.,  etc.  I  must  now 
close  up  as  my  time  is  growing  short.  I  remain,  Dear  Boardman, 
Yours  sincerely, 

H.  E.  Dresser. 

P.  S.    I  had  another  long  letter  from  Heermann  last  week. 

London,  29  August,  1867. 
My  Dear  Boardman: 

I  received  your  kind  letter  of  the  8th  August  all  right  by  last 
mail  and  am  much  obliged  by  the  information  respecting  the 
expresses  from  Galveston.  Unfortunately  (as  I  see  from  a  letter 
just  received)  my  man  in  Texas  did  not  get  up  to  the  place  where 
the  Swallow-tailed  Hawk  breeds,  owing  to  continued  rains  and 
consequent  floods  and  he  has  therefore  not  done  much  for  me. 
He  promises  faithfully  to  be  there  earlier  next  season  so  I  must 
live  in  hope  of  getting  these  eggs  then.  I  have  heard  nothing  of 
the  Glentill  yet  but  have  written  to  the  owners  to  hear  where  she 
is  and  arrange  about  getting  the  box  sent  on  to  me. 

I  know  well  who  Dr.  Leith  Adams  is  that  you  write  about 
and  have  seen  some  of  his  writings  but  don't  know  him  person- 
ally. He  is  a  great  friend  of  Dr.  Bree,  through  whom  I  have 
heard  of  him.  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  a  collector  he  is  but  do 
not  think  he  has  ever  done  much  and  don't  think  he  knows  much 
about  American  birds.  I  am  glad  I  can  oblige  Dr.  Brewer  in  the 
way  of  stamps  and  will  pick  up  all  I  can  for  him  and  can  often  pick 
up  rare  ones.  Some  of  the  English  ones  he  asks  for  will  be  hard 
to  get  but  others  I  will  send.  Whenever  I  write  you  I  will  enclose 
what  I  can  and  he  can  send  you  eggs  in  return  for  them  if  he  likes. 
To  me  stamps  have  no  value  whatever  for  the  soft  place  in  my 
head  runs  only  on  birds  and  eggs  and  I  have  often  hard  work  to 
prevent  my  spending  too  much  time  over  them.  I  should  be  very 
glad  indeed  to  see  his  work  on  American  Oology  for  such  works 


CORRESPONDENCE  255 

always  interest  me  very  much.  I  have  at  last  got  your  aud  Krider's 
boxes  off  and  will  let  you  know  what  arrangements  I  have  made 
respecting  freight  before  closing  this  up.  I  forgot  to  say  that  I  sent 
a  mounted  bird  of  our  Fish-hawk  to  compare  with  yours.  Both 
this  and  the  Cormorant  were  amongst  those  that  got  slightly 
touched  by  moth  during  my  journey  to  Mexico,  but  I  found  it  so 
slight  that  I  retained  them  and  cured  them  with  benzole  and  as  I 
did  not  see  any  further  sign  I  think  you  may  trust  them.  I  am 
vexed  the  King  Eider  skin  was  bad.  I  had  just  received  it  from 
Greenland  aud  thought  it  was  all  right.  Some  of  those  skins  one 
gets  one  cannot  trust  very  much. 

The  boxes  have  gone  to  the  care  of  Wm.  Thompson  of  St. 
John  in  the  "  Choice,"  which  vessel  will  sail  to-morrow.  Instead 
of  having  them  with  the  cargo  the  captain  said  he  himself  would 
take  charge  of  them  and  put  them  in  his  own  cabin  so  that  they 
should  not  be  knocked  about  and  that  when  they  were  safely 
delivered  the  receiver  could  pay  him  a  trifle.  I  don't  like  doing 
things  in  so  loose  a  manner  but  perhaps  they  will  be  better  taken 
charge  of  thus.  They  are  both  addressed  to  you  so  will  you 
kindly  write  to  Mr.  Thompson  about  them  and  get  him  to  see  to 
them,  and  as  the  freight  would  ordinarily  be  7s.  6d.  sterling  each, 
if  he  gives  the  captain  15s.  it  would  be  fair.  I  don't  want  you  to 
pay  the  expenses,  so  if  you  will  write  and  tell  me  what  the  whole 
sum  is  (and  you  arrange  with  Mr.  Thompson)  I  will  gladly  refund 
it  to  you.  I  addressed  them  to  Mr.  Thompson  and  gave  the  cap- 
tain a  letter  to  him  to  receive  them  as  I  see  that  the  last  things 
sent  were  sent  to  Mr.  T.  for  you.  Krider's  box  is  marked  J.  K. 
and  yours  G.  A.  B.  I  have  just  received  a  nice  long  letter  from 
Krider,  from  which  I  see  that  he  is  collecting  pretty  largely.  I 
am  rather  anxious  to  see  the  latest  American  and  particularly 
Mexican  news.  Did  you  see  the  particulars  of  the  execution  of 
General  Vidauni?  Poor  fellow,  I  knew  him  well  and  have  shared 
blankets  with  him  on  a  journey  through  Texas.  He  was  a  very 
nice  fellow  although  a  regular  Mexican  and  we  got  to  be  great 
friends.  1  must  write  but  a  short  letter  this  time  as  I  have  sev- 
eral letters  to  write  for  to-day's  mail.  Joe  joins  in  kind  regards. 
Believe  me,  Yours  sincerely, 

H.  E.  Dresser. 


256    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

London,  12  May,  1869. 
Dear  Boardman: 

I  wrote  you  on  the  8th  inst.  and  as  I  am  writing  a  few  lines 
to  Dr.  Brewer  I  enclose  a  note  to  you  also,  though  on  the  whole 
there  is  but  little  to  say. 

By  the  way,  I  forgot  to  ask  you  when  I  wrote  the  other  day 
if  you  would  care  for  a  couple  of  handsome  eggs  of  the  Pine 
Grosbeak  from  Lapland.  They  are  still  rare  and  very  dear  with 
us,  but  in  purchasing  a  small  collection  from  Lapland  I  got  four 
of  these  eggs  cheaper  than  I  expected  and  shall  be  very  glad  to 
give  you  two  if  you  will  take  them.  They  are  in  first  rate  condi- 
tion. Did  I  tell  you  the  other  day  that  I  had  received  (long  ago) 
the  eggs  of  Leache's  Petrel  all  right  and  safe.  They  were  left  at 
the  office  without  the  bearer  leaving  word  who  had  brought  them. 
I  wish  Mr.  Cullmen  had  called  for  I  should  have  been  very  glad 
to  have  seen  him  at  our  house  for  your  sake. 

Our  bird  preservation  bill  has  passed  through  Committee  of 
the  House  of  Lords  and  will  soon  be  law.  As  soon  as  printed  in 
regular  form  I  will  send  you  a  copy  of  it  as  you  will  doubtless  be 
interested  in  the  matter. 

By  the  way,  what  do  you  think  of  the  rumors  of  Avar  between 
us  and  your  country?  I  myself  don't  think  there  is  any  fear  of  a 
rupture,  as  there  are  on  both  sides  plenty  of  people  who  have 
good  sense  enough  to  work  against  it.  There  is  no  doubt  we 
sympathized  with  the  South  (I  rather  more  I  think)  but  at  the 
same  time  the  United  States  in  taunting  us  with  it  rather  reminds 
me  of  the  Pot  calling  the  Kettle  black,  for  what  did  the  very 
people  who  now  sing  out  so  loud  do  as  regards  the  Fenians?  I 
expect,  however,  the  whole  affair  is  a  mere  outcry  of  demagogues 
on  your  side  and  sensible  people  will  not  mind  what  they  say. 

Do  you  know  of  any  one  over  here  returning  to  your  place, 
as  I  want  to  send  you  a  water-colored  painting  by  the  new  painter, 
Keulemans,  who  now  is  making  himself  such  a  name,  and  I  dare 
not  send  it  over  in  the  regular  way  for  fear  of  damage.  I  don't  at 
the  present  moment  know  of  any  one.  With  kind  regards  in  which 
Joe  joins,  believe  me, 

Yours  truly, 

H.  E.  Dresser. 


CORRESPONDENCE  257 

London,  2  October,  1869. 
Dear  Boardman: 

Thanks  for  your  nice  long  letter  of  the  14th  September 
received  this  week.  I  am  afraid  I  have  not  half  as  much  to  tell 
you  in  return  as  there  is  not  much  going  on  here  just  now. 

I  have  had  a  first  rate  artist  staying  with  me,  a  new  man  from 
Leyden  called  Keulemans.  He  can  paiut  many  birds  1  think  quite 
equal  to  Wolf  and  is  a  first  rate  ornithologist  at  the  same  time.  I 
am  trying  to  get  him  some  of  Elliot's  work  to  do  and  am  the 
more  anxious  to  bring  it  about  because  I  am  fully  convinced 
Elliot  will  be  fully  satisfied  with  his  work,  and  he  is  a  man  who 
wants  to  push  his  way  as  a  bird  painter.  1  never  saw  any  one  but 
Wolf  who  could  turn  out  such  really  artistic  and  true  paintings  of 
birds.  He  has  done  one  painting  of  several  of  the  rarest  of  my 
Texan  birds,  amongst  others  of  Dendroica  chrysopareia,  and  he  is 
not  dear  in  his  prices.  If  you  see  Elliot  please  put  in  a  word  for 
him  as  he  is  a  most  deserving  man. 

I  should  like  to  see  the  book  they  publish  at  the  Smithsonian 
on  the  clam  beds.  Can  it  be  bought,  and  at  what  price?  I  should 
like  to  buy  many  of  the  scientific  publications  in  America  if  they 
are  to  be  had  and  particularly  those  of  the  Smithsonian.  I  have 
tried  to  do  so  here  but  without  success.     How  can  I  get  them? 

You  will  have  a  nice  trip  in  Florida  this  winter  and  I  wish  I 
could  make  it  with  you  for  if  we  were  together  I  expect  we  should 
do  some  big  collecting.  I  will  look  after  a  mounted  Greenland 
Falcon  for  you  and  can  probably  soon  get  one.  I  am  glad  you 
have  some  Petrel  eggs  for  me  as  I  am  about  out  of  them  again 
and  they  are  a  good  stock  for  exchanging.  Thanks  for  the 
information  you  give  me  about  your  game  laws ;  we  much  need 
such  a  law  here  and  it  should  be  strictly  enforced  for  in  an  over- 
peopled country  the  birds  should  be  protected.  I  see  you  have 
your  birds  all  arranged  now  —  what  a  lot  you  have !  I  have  been 
getting  my  American  eggs  all  in  order  and  catalogued  and  will 
make  you  out  a  list  of  what  I  have  when  I  have  a  spare  evening 
to  do  so.  I  intend  now  to  keep  them  apart  from  my  European 
eggs  and  iu  fact  to  make  quite  a  separate  collection  of  them  and 
shall  have  a  large  cabinet  made  on  purpose. 


258     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  have  Krider's  box  at  last  and  opened  it  but  find  the  eggs 
very  badly  blown  and  many  broken.  What  a  pity  that  he  does 
not  get  decently  prepared  specimens  for  most  of  those  he  sends 
are  quite  useless  for  exchanging  and  moreover  he  gives  no  par- 
ticulars whatever  with  them. 

I  wish  you  could  put  me  in  correspondence  with  some  one 
from  whom  I  could  get  good  blown  specimens  of  eggs  with  par- 
ticulars of  locality,  etc.  I  would  do  a  big  exchanging  trade  and 
we  should  mutually  benefit  each  other.  There  are  so  many  eggs 
I  want  that  are  by  no  means  rare  in  the  United  States  and  I  can 
send  lots  of  Greenland  eggs  in  exchange.  I  get  a  few  good  eggs 
every  noAV  and  again  from  Hepburn  of  San  Francisco,  but  of 
course  only  of  western  birds.  What  a  mess  they  are  in  in  Spain  at 
present!  I  was  expecting  a  lot  of  birds'  eggs  from  there  but  I 
suppose  under  existing  circumstances  they  will  not  turn  up. 
People  over  there  have  something  else  to  do  just  now  besides 
attending  to  birds'  eggs. 

I  see  what  you  say  about  your  son's  wedding,  and  though  I 
don't  know  him  please  offer  him  my  congratulations.  There  have 
been  lots  of  weddings  over  here  also  lately,  quite  an  epidemic 
amongst  my  own  friends  and  I  have  seen  three  "  bird "  men, 
friends  of  mine,  turned  off  into  matrimony  during  the  last  two 
months  and  two  more  intend  to  follow  suit  before  the  end  of  the 
year.  I  only  hope  their  wives  won't  keep  them  from  attending  to 
ornithology. 

Speaking  about  horns,  I  am  trying  to  get  some  from  Bombay 
where  my  second  brother  is  fixed  for  some  years  to  come  at  least. 
He  has  a  capital  place,  being  now  assistant  engineer  on  the  gov- 
ernment harbor  works  there,  and  as  the  climate  agrees  with  him 
and  he  has  prospect  of  quick  promotion  he  has  fixed  to  make  his 
home  out  there.  It  is  a  pity  he  cannot  skin  birds  for  as  he  has 
quite  a  large  body  of  men  under  him  he  might  often  get  good 
things,  the  more  so  as  he  is  taking  soundings  off  the  river  and  has 
the  entire  use  of  a  government  yacht. 

Joe  joins  in  kind  regards  and  believe  me, 
Yours  truly, 

H.  E.  Dresser. 


CORRESPONDENCE  259 

London,  28  August,  1868. 
Dear  Boardman  : 

I  have  just  returned  from  Norwich  where  I  have  been  to 
attend  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Science  and  have  had  a  regular  treat,  as  fully  three  thousand 
people,  English  and  foreigners,  were  there.  I  went  down  with 
Professor  Huxley  on  the  18th  and  the  next  day  the  proceedings 
opened  by  a  grand  speech  by  the  President,  D.  Hooker,  which 
touched  chiefly  on  Darwin's  theory  and  the  relations  now  existing 
between  science  and  religion.  The  daily  lectures  and  discussions 
were  carried  on  in  some  seven  different  section  rooms,  each  devoted 
to  one  branch  of  science  and  ruled  by  a  sectional  committee  under 
the  general  one.  I  was  of  course  in  section  D,  Zoology,  and  was 
on  the  committee.  Our  president  was  Berkeley,  a  botanist,  but  we 
had  a  good  many  bird  papers.  We  generally  met  in  the  recep- 
tion room,  a  large  sort  of  club  with  all  sorts  of  conveniences  and 
at  ten  A.  M.  the  various  committees  met,  and  at  eleven  the  rooms 
were  open  for  papers  to  be  read,  etc.,  which  lasted  till  three,  after 
which  we  dined  at  some  of  the  residents  (as  every  one  threw 
their  houses  open  to  friends)  and  in  the  evening  were  soirees  and 
that  sort  of  thing  for  members  of  the  association.  The  pleasantest 
evening  was  the  Lion  dinner  day  when  all  the  celebrities  of 
section  D  and  all  foreign  naturalists  at  all  well  known  and 
present  meet  together  for  a  big  spree  and  I  can  assure  you  that 
old  men  (and  young)  whose  names  are  well  known  in  the  scientific 
world,  such  as  Huxley,  Lyndall,  Newton,  Lubbock,  Pengelly, 
Wallace,  Gunther,  etc.,  etc.,  were  anything  but  the  least  noisy  and 
least  inclined  to  join  in  the  fun.  I  spent  eight  days  there 
altogether  and  was  very  sorry  to  leave  as  it  was  a  very  pleasant 
way  of  getting  knowledge. 

There  were  a  lot  of  foreign  professors  there  and  amongst 
them  old  Nilsson,  the  veteran  Swedish  naturalist  and  Lorell,  the 
Spiztbergen  explorer  with  lots  of  Germans. 

Most  of  our  bird  men  were  there,  but  both  Salvin  and  God- 
man  were  unable  to  attend.  However  the  "  Ibis"  brotherhood 
mustered  pretty  strong  and  made  headquarters  at  the  house  of  a 
brother  "Ibis"  resident  there  and  the  bird  talk  was,  as  you  can 
imagine,  rather  strong  in  that  quarter, 


260    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in  the  Geographical  section 
where  some  excellent  papers  were  read  by  celebrated  travellers 
and  the  men  sent  out  by  Government  to  Abyssinia  gave  reports  of 
the  nature  of  the  country,  etc.  Mr.  Whymper,  who  has  just 
returned  from  Greenland,  read  some  very  interesting  papers  he 
had  written  on  that  country,  chiefly  relating  to  natural  history. 
I  wish  you  had  been  there  as  it  would  have  been  the  very  thing  to 
suit  you. 

I  don't  know  of  much  new  to  tell  you  in  the  way  of  natural 
history  excepting  that  I  have  a  box  of  eggs  over  from  north- 
west Greenland  and  if  you  want  any  eggs  from  there  I  shall  be 
glad  to  supply  you.  I  heard  from  Liverpool  to-day  that  a  box  was 
there  for  me  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  one  from  Krider ;  but  they 
refuse  to  give  it  up  unless  I  can  produce  endorsed  bill  of  lading  and 
it  is  now  in  a  place  where  it  will  soon  incur  about  its  own  value 
in  expenses,  so  I  am  afraid  it  will  turn  out  an  expensive  affair  for- 
me. Krider  never  told  me  how  it  was  sent  nor  did  he  send  bill 
of  lading  or  anything  by  which  I  can  prove  ownership  so  I  am 
afraid  I  shall  be  bothered  to  get  it.  I  shall  write  and  grumble  at 
him  for  not  being  more  business  like.  By  the  way,  I  should  like 
very  much  to  know  if  with  you  there  is  a  close  time  for  game  or 
birds,  viz.,  a  time  when  it  is  quite  illegal  to  kill  them,  such  being 
the  breeding  season,  and  if  such  a  law  exists  how  it  acts. 

They  are  now  killing  such  quantities  of  sea  birds  for  plumes 
that  people  are  thinking  of  having  a  close  time  appointed  by  law 
and  the  British  Association  has  appointed  a  committee  (of  which 
I  am  a  member)  to  report  on  it.  I  should  be  glad  to  see  some- 
thing done  as  there  are  such  lots  of  gunners  who  destroy  so  many 
birds  in  the  breeding  season,  and  one  plume  dealer  on  the  coast 
brags  that  he  averages  five  hundred  gulls  per  day  through  his 
hands,  and  this  in  the  middle  of  the  breeding  season,  so  you  can 
imagine  the  wholesale  destruction  of  life  amongst  the  deserted 
young  birds,  and  it  is  high  time  that  in  a  closely  inhabited  country 
like  ours  the  birds  should  be  somewhat  protected,  at  least  during 
the  breeding  season. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  again  ere  long,  I  remain 
Yours  truly. 

H.  E.  Dresser. 


CORRESPONDENCE  2G1 

London,  15  June,  1871. 
Dear  Boardman: 

I  am  indeed  an  awful  correspondent,  but  the  fact  is  that  I  am 
so  saddled  with  work  that  1  am  about  as  badly  off  as  Baird,  and  I 
generally  manage  to  pile  a  bit  more  on.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that 
you  have  had  so  nice  a  time  down  south,  and  wish  I  could  have 
been  there  with  you.  You  will  have  found  plenty  in  the  way  of 
birds.  Some  day  when  I  grow  rich  and  able  to  rest  on  my  oars 
(I  don't  see  when  it  will  be,  by  the  way)  I  will  take  a  trip  and 
see  Florida.  I  quite  long  for  it  now  for,  would  you  believe  it,  we 
have  had  fires  until  last  week,  June,  and  have  not  seen  the  sun 
for  about  a  fortnight,  and  then  it  winked  at  us  and  evidently  did 
not  like  the  look  of  us  and  consequently  looked  elsewhere.  I  have 
seen  the  work  on  the  Birds  of  California  and  don't  like  it  as  well 
as  I  expected.  They  seem  not  to  have  kept  with  the  times,  and 
speak  of  the  eggs,  etc.,  as  unknown  of  lots  of  birds,  the  eggs  of 
which  are  in  the  Smithsonian.  Besides  they  give  such  a  little 
scrap  of  information  as  to  habits,  etc.,  and  it  makes  such  a  dry 
book.  I  hope  more  particulars  will  be  given  with  the  Birds  of  the 
United  States.  Elliot  has  been  here  for  the  past  week  or  two  and 
I  have  seen  him  about  half  a  dozen  times.  He  is  well  and  work- 
ing hard  at  his  book  on  pheasants.  He  left  for  Geneva  yesterday 
and  returns  again  in  a  month.  Our  book  is  getting  along  well, 
but  does  not  pay  its  way  yet,  which  we  could,  however,  scarcely 
expect  as  we  do  it  with  scarcely  any  margin  —  fifty  pages  of 
letterpress,  quarto,  and  eight  or  nine  large  plates  hand  colored 
and  executed  by  a  good  artist,  for  10s.  Gd.  requires  a  whole  lot 
sold  before  it  will  pay.  However,  as  matters  go  I  hope  we  shall 
have  enough  subscribers  to  make  it  pay  by  the  end  of  the  year. 
It  keeps  all  my  spare  time  fully  employed.  Elliot  Coues  has  been 
writing  to  me  lately  and  helping  us  but  I  can't  get  Baird  to  do 
anything  though  I  would  gladly  pay  well  for  any  skins  we 
require  for  the  work. 

By  the  way,  if  I  send  you  a  slight  sketch  of  a  Surf  Scoter's 
head  could  you  get  any  one  to  color  it  accurately  from  a  fresh 
killed  bird  at  a  reasonable  rate?  There  are  many  of  these  little 
details  which  one  must  look  to. 


262    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  shall  be  glad  to  offer  you  a  contributor's  copy  of  our  book, 
but  the  expense  in  having  plates  colored  will  not  allow  me  to 
offer  you  one  with  plates.  These  contributors'  copies  are  twenty 
which  we  had  struck  off  on  thinner  paper  without  plates  and 
loose  in  the  covers,  for  people  who  assist  us  on  the  continent  in 
sending  notes  from  time  to  time  and  a  couple  of  copies  are  still 
unappropriated.  Three  parts  are  ready  and  the  rest  ob :  67  will 
be  sent  from  time  to  time  as  they  appear.  The  whole  work  will 
be  of  rather  alarming  size,  say  about  600  plates  and  about  3,500 
pages  of  letterpress. 

How  can  I  send  the  copy  to  you?  Shall  I  send  it  to  the 
Smithsonian  bookseller  here,  as  the  cost  of  book  post  would  be 
awful.  Do  you  know  if  I  could  get  any  one  to  pick  out  for  me  all 
information  as  to  the  breeding  of  the  arctic  birds  common  to 
America  and  Europe?  They  have  heaps  of  information  at  Wash- 
ington but  Baird  has  not  time  to  communicate  it. 

I  myself  am  (I  am  glad  to  say)  in  splendid  health,  and  since 
the  loss  of  my  hair  have  never  known  what  a  touch  of  illness  is. 
I  can't  make  it  out  at  all  for  though  I  was  not  really  ill  it  seems 
to  have  carried  oft*  all  traces  of  the  feeling  of  illness  I  used  to 
have  if  I  did  not  get  out  of  town  every  week  or  two ;  but  I  have 
not  a  single  trace  of  hair  from  my  head  to  my  heels.  It  would 
puzzle  a  Comanche  to  "  raise  my  hair"  now,  but  I  kinder  calculate 
that  he  might  catch  a  Tartar  if  he  tried,  for  all  my  bodily  strength 
has  returned  to  its  fullest  extent. 

I  must,  however,  now  close  as  I  am  hard  up  for  time  (a  very 
general  complaint  with  me)  and  with  very  kind  regards  believe  me 
Yours  truly, 

H.  E.  Dresser. 

The  correspondence  between  Mr.  Boardman  and  Robert 
Ridgway  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  extended  over 
a  period  of  twenty-two  years,  beginning  in  1871  and 
ending  in  1893,  six  years  after  the  death  of  Prof.  Baird 
and  eight  before  Mr.  Boardman' s  own  death. 

Robert  Ridgway  was  born  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  July 
2,  1850.     From  studies  in  the  common  school  he  early 


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CORRESPONDENCE  2G3 

turned  his  attention  to  natural  history  and  in  18G7-G9 
was  zoologist  to  the  United  States  exploring  expedi- 
tion of  the  Fortieth  Parallel  of  which  the  late  Clarence 
King  was  chief.  For  the  past  twenty-three  years  or 
since  his  first  appointment  to  the  position  in  1880,  Mr. 
Ridgway  has  been  curator  of  the  department  of  orni- 
thology in  the  United  States  National  Museum  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  American  Ornithologists  Union  and  is  an  hon- 
orary member  of  several  foreign  scientific  societies, 
among  them  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  Eondon.  His 
writings  upon  ornithological  subjects  have  been  numer- 
ous and  important.  With  Prof.  Baird  and  Dr.  T.  M. 
Brewer  he  was  the  author  of  that  monumental  work, 
A  History  of  North  American  Birds,  in  five  volumes. 
He  is  also  sole  author  of  A  Manual  of  North  American 
Birds ;  A  Nomenclature  of  Colors  for  Naturalists ;  The 
Ornithology  of  Illinois,  in  two  volumes,  together  with 
more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  scientific  papers  pub- 
lished either  separately  or  in  transactions  and  proceed- 
ings of  learned  societies,  most  of  them  upon  subjects 
connected  with  bird  life.  A  great  work  upon  which 
he  is  now  engaged  is  :  The  Birds  of  North  and  Middle 
America,  the  publication  of  which  is  being  carried 
forward  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington, 
D.  C.  Two  volumes,  only,  have  appeared,  1901-1902, 
of  748  and  854  pages,  respectively  ;  while  it  is  expected 
that  eight  volumes  will  be  required  to  complete  the 
work. 

Mr.  Ridgway  writes  Mr.  Boardman,  April  20,  1871, 
sending  him  a  copy  of  his  treatise  on  the  Falconidse  and 
asking  for  the  entire  heads  of  each  species  of  owl  that  he 


2G4    THE  NATURAUST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

can  secure  and  send  him.  He  writes  :  "  Any  that  you 
can  procure  would  be  a  very  valuable  addition  to  my 
material  for  studying  this  family.  The  external  structure 
of  the  ear  appears  to  afford  one  of  the  most  important 
characters  among  those  available  as  a  basis  of  classifica- 
tion and,  of  course,  it  is  impossible  to  make  any  use  of 
dried  skins  for  the  examination  of  this  organ.  Not 
recollecting  just  how  complete  was  the  list  of  desiderata 
that  I  gave  you,  I  take  the  liberty  to  mention  here,  since 
you  were  so  kind  as  to  offer  to  obtain  some  of  them  for 
me  —  those  which  I  desire."  Then  follows  a  list  of 
fourteen  New  England  and  eight  Florida  species.  To 
this  request  Mr.  Boardman  made  immediate  response. 
May  13,  1874,  he  tells  Mr.  Ridgway  of  a  man  who  found 
a  bird  that  was  new  to  him,  exhausted  on  the  ground. 
He  described  the  Sooty  Tern  exactly,  and  says:  "It 
is  a  new  place  for  this  bird.  I  have  never  seen  it  north 
of  Florida."  In  this  letter  Mr.  Boardman  wants  to  be 
remembered  to  Henshaw  and  to  know  where  he  is  going  ; 
to  hear  from  Turner  and  what  he  got  in  Alaska  ;  from 
Prof.  Goode,  Bean,  Elliot,  Milner  and  "all  the  folks." 

August  10,  1874,  Mr.  Boardman  writes,  sending  him  a 
lark,  "Very  small  and  marked  differently  from  any  I  have 
before  seen;"  also  a  queerly  marked  warbler,  "which 
we  call  a  yellow  or  red  poll  but  in  queer  plumage," 
about  which  he  wants  information.  He  adds  :  "I  wish 
you  could  come  down  here  and  see  where  lots  of  the 
warblers  breed.  We  have  several  considered  rare,  as  Bay- 
breasted,  Chestnut-sided,  Black-throated  Blue,  Golden- 
crested,  etc."    To  this  Mr.  Ridgway  replies  : 


CORRESPONDENCE  205 

Washington,  D.  C,  August  19,  1S74. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

Your  letter  of  the  10th  hist  received  several  days  ago,  was  a 
pleasant  surprise  to  me  since  it  has  not  often  been  my  good  for- 
tune to  hear  from  you ;  I  hope  that  you  won't  stop  with  this  one. 

The  birds  came  in  the  same  mail  and  afforded  me  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure  —  especially  the  young  red-poll  warbler  (Den- 
droica  palmarnm),  which  is  the  first  of  the  plumage  that  I  have 
seen ;  the  stage  has  not  yet  been  described.  Very  likely  you 
have  the  young  of  other  warblers  which  are  in  the  same  "  fix." 
The  young  of  D.  cwrulescens,  D.  virens,  D.  blackburnice,  D.  castarea, 
D.  maculosa  and  D.  discolor,  are  also  undescribed.  In  view  of  the 
fact  that  you  may  be  able  to  supply  them,  I  make  a  list  of  the 
other  warblers  of  your  section  whose  young  are  desiderata  — 
"  non  est  come-at-able ;"  they  are  the  following :  Helminthophaga 
chrysop>tera,  H.  ruficapilla,  II.  peregrina,  Myiodioctes  canadensis, 
and  the  two  species  of  Seiurus.  Any  of  these  which  you  can 
furnish  will  be  gratefully  received  by  the  authors  of  the  History 
of  North  American  Birds. 

The  lark  which  you  sent  is  an  adult  (probably  female)  of  the 
desert  race  recognized  as  E.  alpestris  var.  chrysoloema  (  Wagl.) ;  it 
is  the  small,  dark  southern  form  which  is  found  in  Central 
America  (as  far  south  as  Bogota,  N.  G.)  and  breeds  from  southern 
Mexico  to  California  and  Utah. 

All  of  our  wood-warblers  are  first  clad  in  a  plumage  which 
they  retain  only  a  few  weeks  after  being  fully  feathered !  This 
plumage  differs  totally  from  that  usually  called  "young"  and 
which  is  in  reality  the  first  assumption  of  the  adult  dress  in  fall : 
the  young  plumage  proper  is  never  resumed  and  lasts  only  while 
they  are  being  fed  by  their  parents.  Apparently,  all  the  species 
but  D.  pinus  are  streaked,  above  and  below,  in  this  plumage;  at 
least  D.  striata,  D.  palmarum,  and  D.  coronata  (the  only  ones  yet 
collected  to  my  knowledge)  are.  Thus  you  see  the  importance  of 
preserving  specimens  which  you  shoot  just  at  this  season  for 
some  of  those  which  you  mention  as  in  "bad  plumage"  may  be 
the  very  ones  so  much  desired. 

Many  thanks  for  your  kind  invitation  to  visit  your  home;  I 
assure  you  that  I  would  gladly  avail  myself  of  it  were  it  possible 


266      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

for  me  to  get  away.    I  know  that  I  would  And  the  woods  of 
Maine  a  new  field  for  me,  and  I  have  long  looked  forward  to  the 
time  when  I  shall  have  a  chance  to  shoot  birds  there. 
Hoping  to  hear  from  you  soon,  I  remain 
Yours  truly, 

Robert  Ridgway. 

Acknowledging  the  receipt  of  this  letter  September 
16,  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  Boardman  says  :  "  I  go  out  a 
few  hours  most  every  day  woodcock  or  snipe  shooting 
but  do  not  find  anything  rare.  Among  the  young 
warblers  I  do  not  find  any  in  nursing  plumage  —  they 
are  most  all  in  good  full  plumage  and  all  look  like 
females.  I  hardly  see  a  full  plumaged  male.  I  have  had 
a  nice  visit  from  Dr.  Brewer  and  wife  since  I  wrote  you. 
They  were  with  us  several  days."  Answering  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Boardman  in  which  he  says  :  "I  suppose  you 
and  Mr.  Brewster  have  returned  from  Illinois  laden  with 
spoils,"  Mr.  Ridgway  writes  under  date  of  June  13, 
1878: 

My  trip  was  very  successful  in  every  respect.  I  think  Mr. 
Brewster  is  also  cpiite  well  satisfied.  I  got  two  hundred  and 
sixty-five  fine  skins  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  nests  and 
eggs  besides  live  snakes  and  turtles  and  a  tank  full  of  alcoholic 
specimens.  Found  the  Duck  Hawk  breeding  at  Mount  Carmel, 
and  got  at  one.  nest  by  cutting  down  the  tree  —  a  huge  sycamore, 
115  feet  high  (with  nearly  whole  top  broken  off)  and  twenty-six 
feet  in  circumference,  but,  fortunately,  a  mere  shell  at  the  base, 
while  the  tree  itself  leaned  a  great  deal,  so  that  it  required  com- 
paratively little  chopping  to  fell  it.  By  measurement  the  nest 
was  found  to  have  been  eighty-nine  feet  from  the  ground.  Sev- 
eral other  nests  were  found  in  similar  situations,  but  none  were 
accessible,  while  the  trees  were  too  large  and  solid  to  pay  for 
cutting.  In  this  case  got  four  full-Hedged  young  and  the  female 
parent. 


CORRESPONDENCE  267 

Mr.  Boardman  says  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Ridgway  of  July 
1,  1878  :  "I  was  not  surprised  at  what  you  say  about 
the  Duck  Hawk  breeding  so  far  south  for  I  have  for 
some  years  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  Duck  Hawk 
and  Pigeon  Hawk  breed  far  south  and  perhaps  in  Florida ; 
for  in  my  collecting  I  have  found  two  forms  of  both  those 
hawks,  the  size  being  very  much  smaller  and  the  color 
darker.  I  have  seen  the  northern  as  well  as  the  southern 
birds  in  Florida.  I  have  never  seen  but  three  Duck 
Hawks  shot  in  Florida — two  were  much  smaller  than  any 
I  have  collected  north.  But  the  difference  in  the  Pigeon 
Hawk  is  greater.  They  are  much  darker  than  any  I 
ever  see  this  way  and  I  have  no  doubt  they  are  the 
southern  breeding  birds.  Probably  your  Illinois  Duck 
Hawks  would  be  intermediate  between  the  northern  and 
the  Florida  specimens.  I  should  like  to  see  them.  I 
have  seven  Duck  Hawks  in  my  collection,  and  all 
different  from  Florida  birds.  You  were  fortunate  in 
getting  such  a  haul  from  one  nest.  I  have  never  heard, 
certainly,  of  their  nesting  so  far  south  before." 

Under  date  of  December  25,  1878,  Mr.  Ridgway  writes 
that  Henshaw  has  returned  but  had  a  very  poor  field  for 
work,  while  a  letter  from  Mr.  Turner  dated  Unalaska, 
November  10,  complains  of  being  in  rather  a  poor  field 
affording  no  novelties  and  few  desirable  species.  He  also 
wants  Mr.  Boardman's  assistance  in  obtaining  the  downy 
young  (chicks)  of  any  of  the  swimming  birds  as  "  accept- 
able material"  for  the  work  on  Water  Birds  in  which  he 
was  then  engaged.  Mr.  Boardman's  reply  tells  of  his 
wish  to  assist  him  but  says:  "We  do  not  have  one- 
fourth  the  swimming  birds  breed  with  us  now  that  we 
did  before  the  pickerel  were  put  in  our  river,  as  they 


2G8     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

catch  most  of  the  young  birds  as  they  swim  about  with 
the  old  ones.  A  few  years  ago  most  every  flock  of  ducks 
or  grebes  would  have  from  seven  to  twelve  young ;  now 
we  hardly  ever  see  more  than  from  one  to  four :  while 
many  species  of  waders  have  left  us  entirely."  Mr.  Board- 
man  adds  ;  "I  am  sorry  Henshaw  was  sent  to  so  poor 
a  field ;  he  is  such  a  good  collector  I  should  like  to  have 
him  in  a  good  place.  As  for  Turner — I  think  a  person 
going  to  Alaska  should  have  something  good  in  the 
way  of  specimens  to  interest  him." 

On  September  9,  1879,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  of  a 
strange  migration  of  southern  birds  at  Milltown  that  he 
has  never  known  to  visit  there  before.  Among  them  were 
Black  Skimmers  —  a  large  flock  ;  Rhynchops  Nigra  and 
Laughing  Gulls.  Mr.  Ridgway  writes  September  17, 
1879:  "The  remarkable  influx  of  southern  birds  to 
your  New  England  shores  is  easy  to  understand.  In 
the  latter  part  of  July  and  early  part  of  August  Henshaw 
and  I  visited  Cobb's  Island  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Virginia,  where  all  these  birds  were  breeding,  and  the 
cannonade  we  kept  up  there  for  over  a  week  no  doubt 
sent  you  the  birds  you  rejoice  over.  So  you  should 
thank  us  for  them.  Brewster  is  down  there  now,  and  he 
reports  birds  of  the  kind  you  have  with  }'ou  as  extremely 
scarce." 

Writing  to  Mr.  Ridgway  June  12,  1881,  Mr.  Board- 
man  says  :  "I  have  had  nothing  very  rare  collected  for 
me  here  the  past  winter  except  an  Ivory  Gull,  which 
was  not  in  very  good  plumage  ;  and  a  Black- necked 
Stilt,  this  spring.  They  very  seldom  come  so  far  north  ; 
I  never  got  but  one  before.  I  hope  you  had  a  good  time 
out  in  Illinois  and  collected  a  lot  of  good  things.    Last 


CORRESPONDENCE  269 

fall  I  bought  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  laud  near 
Mt.  Carmel.  I  shall  have  to  go  out  and  see  it.  There 
may  be  some  birds  on  it." 

In  1882,  when  Mr.  Boardman  was  in  Minneapolis,  he 
wrote  Mr.  Ridgway  on  September  15:  "The  little 
hawk,  if  a  Broad-winged,  is  in  very  queer  plumage.  I 
have  a  good  series  of  Broad-wings,  yet  nothing  like  it. 
If  it  had  been  taken  in  the  fall  I  should  have  been  less 
surprised  ;  but  taken  in  the  spring  when  those  small 
hawks  are  in  full  plumage,  appeared  strange.  You  can 
keep  it  as  my  collection  is  so  much  shut  up  and  seen  by 
so  few  people  it  would  never  be  seen  by  many  naturalists 
and  I  want  it  to  be  in  the  Smithsonian."  That  same 
month,  writing  from  Fargo,  he  says:  "The  hawk  I 
sent  you  was  a  male  from  Calais,  about  June  15.  The 
men  on  my  son's  farm  told  me  of  an  eagle's  nest  on  a 
little  hillock.  The  entire  foundation  was  Buffalo  ribs  put 
in  with  sods  so  as  to  make  a  very  pretty  shaped  nest. 
There  were  no  other  bones  but  ribs.  Black  Vultures  are 
quite  plenty  here.  I  shot  one  to  make  sure. ' '  In  a  letter 
dated  Minneapolis,  February  26,  1883,  Mr.  Boardman 
writes  :  "I  notice  your  surprise  at  my  seeing  Buzzard  — 
Black  Vulture  up  in  northern  Dakota.  It  was  a  surprise 
to  me,  but  I  did  not  know  but  it  was  a  place  where  they 
had  been  found  and  not  hearing  from  you  did  not  write 
to  Forest  and  Stream  but  will  do  so  now.  I  notice  in 
one  of  the  late  numbers  Mr.  Byrne  of  Crockett's  Bluff 
doubts  about  Buzzards  being  found  in  Maine,  or  so  far 
north,  as  he  has  never,  after  living  in  Illinois  half  a 
century,  ever  seen  one  there.  I  have  found  them  in 
Nova  Scotia,  at  Grand  Manan,  in  New.  Brunswick  and 
in  Maine." 


270    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

In  1884,  writing  from  Calais  on  December  1,  Mr.  Board- 
man  sends  a  skin  of  Florida  Pigeon  Hawk  and  wants 
him  to  compare  it  with  the  pigeon  hawks  in  the  Smith- 
sonian as  "  there  is  a  very  great  difference  in  the  bands 
of  the  tail  from  those  of  our  northern  birds."  Again, 
January  8,  1885,  he  says  :  "One  of  my  collecting  friends 
in  Minneapolis  wrote  me  of  going  last  spring  up  to  Devil's 
Lake  in  Dakota  and  finding  the  large  grebe — occidentalis 
—  breeding  there  quite  common.  I  have  never  heard  of 
western  grebe  this  side  of  the  mountains  and  thought  it 
must  be  a  new  thing.  Write  me  if  this  large  grebe  has 
been  found  breeding  so  far  east  before."  April  20,  1885, 
Mr.  Boardman  writes  to  Mr.  Ridgway  that  "  one  of  our 
Surf  Ducks  is  a  little  different  from  those  described  in 
the  books,  but  it  may  be  common.  Most  of  them  have 
two  white  patches  on  the  top  of  the  head  and  back  of 
the  neck.  We  have  them  here  with  only  one  white 
patch,  none  on  the  top  of  the  head.  Do  you  have  the 
Surf  Duck  with  only  one  white  patch?"  On  December 
26,  1887,  Mr.  Boardman  sends  Mr.  Ridgway  from  Calais, 
' '  the  little  hawk  for  you  to  see  if  there  is  any  difference 
between  it  and  the  common  Pigeon  Hawk.  The  bands 
on  the  tail  look  to  me  different.  I  was  sorry  I  could  not 
make  out  the  sex  ;  but  it  was  so  shot  through  the  back 
I  could  not.  It  appeared,  however,  more  like  a  female, 
although  the  dark  color  would  indicate  a  male."  Writ- 
ing from  Calais,  November  10,  1870,  Mr.  Boardman  says  : 
"  In  looking  over  some  of  my  old  papers  I  see  in  Prof. 
Reinhardt's  paper  on  the  Birds  of  Greenland  (1860), 
he  speaks  of  a  duck  called  Fuligula  cristata,  taken  there 
by  Mr.  Walker  at  Godhaven  during  the  stay  of  the  ship 
Fox  at  that  place  in  1857.     I  write  to  ask  if  this  is  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  271 

same  as  Fuligula  rufina.  I  have  no  names  of  European 
birds  but  thought  it  might  be  the  same  duck  as  the  one 
I  sent  the  young  of,  got  at  the  market  in  New  York, 
which  you  thought  the  first  one  ever  taken  in  North 
America.  If  it  is  the  same  the  Greenland  bird  is  ahead 
of  it." 

These  several  extracts  are  a  good  indication  of  Mr. 
Boardman's  accurate  habits  of  observation  in  the  slight 
differences  of  the  markings  of  birds,  and  his  desire  for 
exact  statement  of  facts  regarding  species. 

Letters  from  Mr.  Ridgway  to  Mr.  Boardman 

"Washington,  D.  C,  June  23,  1881. 
Deau  Mr.  Boardman: 

The  box  arrived  to-day  and  I  derived  much  pleasure  from  an 
inspection  of  its  contents,  which  were  in  good  condition — the 
tail  of  the  hawk  a  little  mussed,  however.  The  hawk  proves  to 
be  what  I  suspected — the  Short-tailed  Buzzard — Butes  brachyurus ; 
and  unless  it  should  prove  true  (as  has  been  held  by  some  authors) 
that  it  is  identical  with  the  small  black  hawk  called  B.  fuliguiosus, 
or  B.  cabanisi,  a  specimen  of  which  was  obtained  last  winter  at 
Oyster  Bay,  Fla.,  is  an  addition  to  the  fauna.  Perhaps  the  other 
hawk  you  saw  may  be  the  same  bird  in  another  state  of  plumage. 
Will  you  kindly  send  me  particulars  as  to  time  and  place  of  cap- 
ture? I  will  have  the  owl  put  in  good  shape  for  Mrs.  Baird.  It 
is  a  fine  specimen  and  will  no  doubt  please  her  very  much. 

As  soon  as  I  can  spare  the  time  I  will  investigate  the  hawk 
question  and  let  you  know  the  result.  With  many  thanks  for 
sending  the  specimens,  I  am 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

Kobert  Ridgway. 

Washington,  March  5,  1883. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman  : 

Your  kind  favor  of  the  2(ith  ult.  reached  me  a  day  or  two  ago. 
It  certainly  is  true  that  the  Black  Vulture  is  not   common  in 


272    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Illinois.  I  have  seen  a  few,  but  very  few,  near  Mt.  Carmel,  where 
C.  aura  is  not  only  extremely  abundant,  but  also  a  regular  winter 
resident!  Can't  you  send  us  a  few  Evening  Grosbeaks?  Our 
series  is  very  meagre — about  half  a  dozen  altogether,  including 
good,  bad,  and  indifferent.  Of  Bohemian  Wax  Wings  we  have 
plenty — that  is,  for  our  reserve  series. 

Nelson,  at  last  accounts,  had  gone  to  southern  New  Mexico, 
but  his  regular  post  office  address  is  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  His  health 
is  somewhat  improved,  but  his  physician  has  ordered  him  to 
remain  west  for  another  year.  We  have  not  heard  from  Turner 
lately.  Stejneger  (I  believe  you  met  him  at  the  Smithsonian). has 
sent  us  some  excellent  things  from  the  Commander  Islands,  sev- 
eral new  species,  including  a  fine  large  new  Sea  Eagle  (Haliaetus 
hypoleucus).  We  have  now  a  number  of  good  collectors  in  the 
field :  Nutting  in  Nicaragua ;  Belding  in  Lower  California,  etc. ; 
and  Professor  Baird  is  going  to  send  a  man  to  McCloud  .River, 
California,  and  also  another  to  Madagascar,  as  well  as  one  to 
northern  Mexico.  Well,  I  hope  this  letter  will  not  be  as  long 
reaching  you  as  my  last  was,  and  hoping  also  to  hear  from  you 
again  soon,  I  am 

Yours  very  truly, 

B.OBERT  IilDGWAY. 

Washington,  December  4,  1884. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

The  Pigeon  Hawk  was  received  this  morning  and  I  have  just 
concluded  a  careful  examination  and  comparison  of  it  with  our 
collection.  The  specimens  with  which  it  was  compared  are  from 
West  Indies  (including  Bahamas),  Long  Island,  District  of 
Columbia,  Hudson's  Bay  Terr.,  Alaska,  California,  Oregon, 
Mexico,  and  Nicaragua — a  pretty  good  series  altogether.  I  am 
sorry  that  we  have  no  Florida  examples  with  which  to  compare 
it,  for  your  bird  is  certainly  different  from  all  of  ours  in  the  very 
dark  coloration  of  the  lower  parts,  restricted  white  markings  on 
the  inner  webs  of  the  primaries,  and  very  broad  subterminal  black 
band  on  the  tail.  In  the  second  feature  a  specimen  from  Santa 
Clara,  California,  is  similar;  but  in  the  other  characters  men- 
tioned your  specimen  is  unique.  Still,  while  it  may  be  that 
resident  Florida  birds  of  this  species  may  be  like  yours,  I  should 


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CORRESPONDENCE  273 

hesitate  to  describe  a  new  race  cm  the  strength  of  the  one  speci- 
men. I  would  say,  however,  that  should  the  differences  men- 
tioned prove  constant  they  would  be  sufficient  to  warrant  the 
separation  of  the  Florida  bird. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Robert  Ridgway, 
Curator,  Dept.  Birds. 
P.  S. — I  will  keep  the  specimen  for  a  few  days,  or  until  I  can 
find  time  to  prepare  some  notes  on  it.  R.  R. 

Washington,  Jan.  23,  1885. 
Dear  Mr.  Boardman: 

I  have  been  so  busy  since  my  return  from  New  York  that 
this  is  my  first  opportunity  of  answering  your  letter  of  the  8th 
inst.  The  Western  Grebe  (Podiceps  occidentalis)  breeds  very 
abundant  at  Shoal  Lake,  Manitoba,  from  whence  we  have  numer- 
ous eggs.  In  fact,  it  breeds  throughout  the  western  country  in 
suitable  localities,  quite  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  east  to  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  Great  Plains.  Captain  Bendire  is  stationed  at 
Fort  Custer,  Montana,  and  is  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  place 
as  a  locality  for  collecting.  Zeledon  is  here,  and  sends  you  his 
best  regards.  Henshaw  has  returned,  bringing  with  him  about 
eight  hundred  birds,  among  them  two  fine  adult  California  Con- 
dors, the  largest  weighing  twenty-three  pounds  and  spreading  over 
niue  feet.  Turner  is  busy  writing  up  his  notes.  He  got  nothing 
new  except  the  nest  and  eggs  of  Pine  Grosbeak.  One  curiosity 
which  he  got  in  the  way  of  nest  and  eggs  was  an  old  Robin's  nest 
in  Avhich  a  Red-poll  had  built  its  nest  and  in  which  a  White- 
crowned  Sparrow  laid  its  eggs !  He  found  the  nest  himself,  so 
there  can  be  no  "  trick  "  about  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Robert  Ridgway. 

Letters  from  Mr.  Boardman  to  Mr.  Ridgway 

Jacksonville,  Fla.,  Dec.  24,  1880. 
Dear  Ridgway: 

I  have  just  arrived  here  and  find  your  letter  of  December  16. 
I  left  home  nearly  five  weeks  ago  and  have  been  all  the  time  on 


274    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  way  down.  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  get  your  letter  before  I  left, 
and  am  now  afraid  I  cannot  tell  you  any  thing  that  will  be  very 
satisfactory  about  the  duck. 

I  was  in  at  Wallace's  bird  shop  and  he  had  just  mounted  the 
duck.  He  asked  me  if  I  knew  what  it  was  and  I  could  not  tell 
him,  but  got  the  bird  to  compare  with  my  specimens,  yet  could 
not  make  it  out,  and  sent  it  to  you,  and  I  believe  it  was  thought 
to  be  some  cross.    I  think  Wallace  said  he  got  it  from  the  market. 

If  we  had  known  it  to  have  been  a  strange  bird  at  the  time 
we  could  have  followed  it,  but  Mr.  Wallace  only  cares  to  sell 
birds,  and  the  time  has  been  so  long  he  might  not  remember 
about  it,  for  about  the  same  time  I  sent  him  a  female  Labrador 
Duck  to  mount  for  your  collection.  When  I  went  for  the  bird 
some  one  had  got  it  away  from  him  or  he  had  sold  it  and  did  not 
appear  to  know  what  had  become  of  the  bird.  So  if  this  is  a  new 
bird  to  the  United  States  I  should  not  care  to  say  too  much  about 
it  upon  the  memory  of  Mr.  Wallace.  The  bird  appeared  to  have 
been  just  mounted  and  set  with  a  lot  of  whistlers  and  mergansers 
and  common  market  birds.  Had  I  thought  it  to  have  been  such  a 
stranger  would  certainly,  at  the  time,  have  got  all  its  history.  I 
have  almost  forgotten  what  the  duck  looked  like,  and  the  full 
plumaged  bird  I  think  I  never  saw.  I  think  the  bird  had  some 
kind  of  a  ring  about  its  neck,  something  as  a  young  plumaged 
Labrador  Duck  might  have,  but  its  bill  was  nothing  like  that  of 
the  Labrador  Duck. 

I  intended  to  have  made  you  a  call  when  in  Washington  but 
was  only  there  a  short  time,  and  did  not  go  to  the  Smithsonian. 
I  am  expecting  to  make  you  a  good  call  in  the  spring  when  we 
return,  and  hope  you  may  have  the  new  building  partly  in  order. 
I  see  by  the  paper  Mr.  Ingersoll  of  the  Fish  Commission  arrived 
here  to-day.  If  you  think  of  anything  I  can  do  for  you  here  let 
me  know  and  I  will  be  on  the  lookout.  With  kind  regards  to  all 
the  folks  and  wishing  you  the  compliments  of  the  season, 
Yours  very  truly, 

Geo.  A.  Boakdman. 


CORRESPONDENCE  275 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  June  4,  1886. 
Friend  Ridgwat: 

I  have  not  written  you  for  a  long  time  and  now  have  not 
much  that  is  new  to  write  about.  We  are  having  a  very  nice  time 
here  and  see  so  many  birds  that  are  rare  with  us  and  many  we 
never  see,  I  quite  enjoy  a  spring  in  the  west ;  but  in  my  shooting  I 
get  nothing  new.  I  hope  to  get  some  chicks  shortly  and  am  try- 
ing to  get  you  a  Krider's  Hawk  if  possible.  I  write  at  this  time 
to  say  that  a  friend  of  mine  in  Connecticut  says  he  has  just  had 
sent  to  him  a  very  odd  looking  warbler,  and  writes  me  to  ask 
about  it.  He  says  it  is  just  like  the  Blue-winged  yellow  warbler 
except  the  black  line  that  runs  through  the  eye  is  larger  and  runs 
further  baiek  on  the  head.  Then  there  is  a  clear  black  triangular 
patch  on  the  throat  reaching  well  down  on  the  breast.  As  I  am 
not  very  much  acquainted  with  this  warbler  (it  does  not  come 
with  us)  please  write  me  if  it  is  anything  more  than  some  abnor- 
mal plumage  of  the  bird  which  it  so  closely  resembles.  If  so  I 
Avill  write  him  to  send  it  to  you.  I  am  going  up  to  Winnipeg 
and  shall  be  back  in  a  few  days. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Daniel  G.  Elliot,  who  was  formerly  superintendent  of 
the  Central  Park,  New  York,  was  a  personal  friend 
and  correspondent  of  Mr.  Boardman,  their  correspond- 
ence extending  over  several  years.  Several  of  Mr.  Elliot's 
letters  appear  among  Mr.  Boardman' s  papers,  although 
none  of  Mr.  Boardman's  have  been  preserved,  Mr. 
Elliot  writing  August  15,  1902,  that  his  mass  of  letters 
from  correspondents  had  become  so  cumbersome  that 
with  few  exceptions  they  were  destroyed.  On  Mr.  Board- 
man's  visits  to  New  York  he  rarely  missed  an  oppor- 
tunity of  going  to  Central  Park,  examining  their  collec- 
tions and  enjoying  calls  upon  their  scientific  workers. 

Daniel  Giraud  Elliot  was  born  in  New  York,  March 
7,  1835,  and  is  now  curator  of  zoology,  Field  Columbian 


276    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Museum,  Chicago,  111.  Mr.  Elliot  has  traveled  exten- 
sively in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  Africa,  Palestine, 
Asia  Minor,  Canada  and  South  America.  He  has  pub- 
lished much  relating  to  zoology,  his  scientific  papers 
and  memoirs  embracing  more  than  one  hundred  separate 
works,  the  more  important  having  been  :  North  Ameri- 
can Shore  Birds ;  Gallinaceous  Game  Birds  of  North 
America ;  Birds  of  North  America ;  Wild  Fowl  of  the 
United  States  and  British  Possessions,  together  with 
several  monographs  in  imperial  folio,  with  hand-colored 
plates,  on  various  families  of  birds  as  Grouse,  Pheasants, 
Thrushes,  Hornbills  and  Birds  of  Passage.  Mr.  Elliot 
is  a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh  and  has 
received  many  decorations  from  foreign  governments  for 
his  work  in  ornithology. 

On  October  23,  1862,  Mr.  Elliot  writes:  "I  have 
procured  for  you  lately  a  male  Ruddy  Duck  in  fine 
summer  plumage.  It  is  a  skin,  which  I  believe  you 
prefer  to  having  it  mounted.  I  am  just  now  putting  the 
finishing  touches  to  my  work  on  The  Pittas  and  shall  be 
glad  to  get  it  out  of  the  way  that  I  may  have  more  time 
for  the  Grouse."  Mr.  Boardman  sent  Mr.  Elliot  a  copy 
of  his  list  of  birds  of  the  St.  Croix  and  in  acknowledg- 
ing it  under  date  of  December  4,  1862,  he  says  : 

I  am  obliged  for  the  list  of  birds  of  your  section  which  you 
sent  me.  Such  contributions  to  our  science  are  always  very 
important,  as  I  consider  that  at  some  future  time  the  geographical 
distribution  and  migrations  of  birds  will  be  subjects  of  most 
serious  consideration  by  ornithologists,  and  therefore  any  light 
that  one  may  be  able  to  throw  upon  them  will  always  be  valuable 
for  future  reference. 

I  am  glad  to  see  you  have  obtained  the  banded  Three-toed 
Woodpecker.    I  was  satisfied  myself  that  it  visited  you,   and 


CORRESPONDKNCE  277 

recollect  once  asking  you  whether  you  had  ever  obtained  it.  I 
am  satisfied  you  will  get  more.  It  is  a  difficult  bird  to  get  here, 
and  I  do  not  know  of  any  one  obtaining  it  in  this  state,  although 
the  other  common  species  is  sometimes  met  with  in  the  northern 
woods. 

Writing  under  date  of  March  G,  18G3,  Mr.  Elliot  says  : 
' '  Mr.  Krider  is  here  and  went  over  my  collection  last 
evening.  He  found  a  good  many  desirable  birds,  but 
also  some  of  the  commonest  wanting.  That  is  always 
the  way,  we  try  so  hard  to  get  the  rare  ones  that  we  over- 
look those  that  fly  before  our  eyes  every  day.  Can  you 
tell  me  if  the  Spruce  Grouse  become  blacker  upon  the 
breast  (I  speak  of  the  males)  as  they  increase  in  age? 
It  appears  to  me  that  such  is  the  case,  but  I  would  like 
to  have  the  opinion  of  one  who  has  observed  them  in 
their  accustomed  haunts." 

On  August  13,  1863,  Mr.  Elliot  received  from  Mr. 
Boardman  a  young  Spruce  Grouse  with  other  skins, 
and  sending  his  thanks  says  :  "I  was,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose, delighted  to  see  the  chick  and  I  would  congratulate 
you  upon  your  success  in  making  up  the  skins  for  I 
think  they  are  admirably  done.  I  shall  proceed  immedi- 
ately to  make  a  drawing  of  the  Spruce  Grouse  and  hope 
when  you  come  to  New  York  in  the  fall  to  be  able  to 
show  you  the  plate."  In  this  same  letter  Mr.  Elliot 
continues:  "I  notice  your  list  of  European  Grouse, 
etc.  I  should  like  to  see  your  Lagopus  Alpina  in  full 
summer  plumage.  Can  you  be  sure  of  the  locality  from 
whence  they  come  ?  It  appears  to  me  from  my  researches 
so  far,  that  there  is  no  good  species  of  that  name,  but  it 
is  only  our  I,.  Albus.  Perhaps  your  specimens  might 
throw  some  light  on  the  subject,  particularly  if  they  are 
European.    All  the  other  species  you  mentioned  I  have." 


278    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

In  describing  Eagopus  albus  (Gm.),  Aud.,  Coues 
edition  of  Stearnes'  New  England  Bird  Life,  II.,  145, 
says  :  "Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman,  Calais,  Maine,  to  whom 
we  wrote  for  information,  assures  us  that  he  has  been 
unable  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  Ptarmigan  has  ever 
been  known  to  occur  in  New  England.  With  this 
explanation,  which  we  trust  will  not  leave  us  liable  to  the 
charge  of  improperly  augmenting  our  list  of  New  Eng- 
lang  birds  and  calling  special  attention  to  the  insufficiency 
of  the  accredited  records,  we  introduce  the  species 
hypothetically." 

When  writing  upon  the  Duck  Hawk  in  1866,  Mr. 
Elliot  writes  Mr.  Boardman  May  24  of  that  year:  "I 
wish  to  obtain  some  reliable  facts  in  regard  to  its  mode 
of  nesting.  Have  you  ever  observed  its  nest  placed  in 
trees  or  does  it  always  have  them  on  some  cliff?  I 
believe  you  have  taken  the  eggs  and  can  give  me  the 
information  I  require." 

In  September,  1866,  Mr.  Elliot,  with  a  party  of  friends 
including  Mr.  Newbold,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Geo.  N. 
Lawrence  and  Mr.  W.  J.  Hays,  came  down  to  Nova 
Scotia  on  a  shooting  expedition  for  moose  at  which  time 
he  had  hoped  to  visit  Mr.  Boardman  at  Calais.  But  the 
party  went  direct  to  Halifax  from  Boston  by  steamer, 
returning  the  same  way,  so  that  Mr.  Elliot  never  saw 
Mr.  Boardman's  collection.  Mr.  Boardman  made  all  the 
arrangements  for  his  friend  on  this  trip,  and  in  a  letter  of 
October  8  Mr.  Elliot  writes  :  ' '  We  have  been  most  kindly 
received  by  both  Mr.  Whitney  and  Mr.  McFarlane  aud 
everything  was  done  to  make  us  comfortable.  I  feel 
that  we  are  much  indebted  to  you  for  your  assistance  in 
making  our  trip  pleasant  and  successful.    We  had  very 


CORRESPONDENCE  279 

good  sport,  having  killed  seven  moose,  a  caribou  and  a 
bear  —  a  fair  variety  for  a  couple  of  weeks." 

Letters  from  D.  G.  Elliot  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Oyster  Bay,  4th  Aug.,  1866. 
My  Deau  Sir: 

Your  favor  of  31st  July  is  received  aud  I  am  much  obliged  for 
the  trouble  that  you  are  taking  for  me.  Will  you  tell  me  whether 
at  either  of  the  places  you  mentioned  we  are  likely  to  have  any  fish- 
ing, and  if  we  had  better  bring  rods.  I  shall  probably  be  accom- 
panied by  two  friends,  Mr.  Newbold,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Lawrence  whom  you  know,  and  W.  J.  Hays,  the  artist.  We 
would  like  to  know  the  best  time  to  start  and  the  route,  and  also 
any  hints  about  the  requisite  amount  of  greenbacks  to  bring. 
Do  they  pass  in  Nova  Scotia?  Can  you  give  me  any  account  of 
the  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  of  the  Goshawk  and  Broad- winged 
Hawk?  I  should  like  very  much  to  meet  you  and  have  a  talk 
about  birds,  when  neither  of  us  would  be  in  a  hurry,  which  unfor- 
tunately has  generally  been  the  case  in  the  city.  I  am  somewhat 
surprised  about  what  you  say  of  the  change  in  plumage  of  the 
Black  Guillemot.  I  have  obtained  them  in  the  Orkney  Islands  in 
the  black  plumage,  also  in  change  aud  pure  white,  and  they  all 
seemed  to  be  old  birds,  and  I  have  never  heard  of  the  adults  hav- 
ing been  obtained  jet  black  during  the  winter.  If  it  is  always 
the  case  in  your  vicinity  it  is  certainly  well  worthy  of  being 
recorded.  Hoping  to  hear  from  you  again  shortly  and  seeing 
you  at  no  distant  time,  believe  me 

Yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  Elliot. 

P.  S.  Will  it  be  advisable  to  bring  any  kind  of  provisions  for 
the  woods?  I  always  take  a  box  of  knick-knacks  along  when  I  go 
after  deer  in  the  north  of  this  state. 

Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  17th  Aug.,  1866. 
My  Dear  Boardman: 

Yours  of  the  9th  inst.  is  at  hand.  I  should  like  to  have  gone 
with  you  on  your  excursion  after  the  ducks,  etc.,  and  hope  you 
were  successful.    Can  you  not  manage  to  get  a  specimen  for  me 


280    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

of  Bonaparte's  Gull  with  the  black  head ;  it  does  not  often  get  down 
as  far  as  our  latitude,  in  summer  plumage.  When  you  write  me 
when  to  go  after  moose,  please  to  give  me  the  route  which  I 
must  take,  and  the  time  for  me  to  start.  I  am  going  on  Monday 
to  shoot  snipe  on  Squaw  Beach,  New  Jersey,  to  be  absent  about  a 
week.  Do  you  have  any  flight  of  these  Bay  Snipe  near  you?  I 
should  think  they  would  come  that  way.  I  do  not  think  anything 
I  should  carry  on  my  woods  trip  would  be  subject  to  duty.  They 
will  consist  principally  of  eatables  and  drinkables,  for  my  expe- 
rience tells  me  it  is  always  advisable  to  have  some  creature 
comforts  along  on  such  expeditions.  I  am  now  writing  besides 
my  large  work  on  the  Birds  of  North  America,  a  smaller  popular 
one,  to  be  included  probably  in  about  three  volumes,  and  I  am 
going  to  try  and  get  Wolf  to  illustrate  it  with  wood-cuts.  I  include 
all  the  species  known  to  inhabit  North  America  with  an  account 
of  their  habits,  nesting,  etc.,  and  hope  to  make  it  useful  and 
entertaining  to  all  my  countrymen.  The  volumes  will  not  be  any 
larger  than  Audubon's  small  work,  easy  to  carry  and  handle. 
So  any  account  which  you  can  give  of  our  birds,  anecdotes,  etc., 
will  be  very  useful  to  me.  Hoping  to  hear  from  you  soon,  believe 
me 

Yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  Elliot. 

New  Yokk,  1st  Nov.,  1866. 
My  Dear  Sir: 

Your  favor  of  the  13th  was  duly  received  but  as  I  have  been 
away  from  town  I  have  been  prevented  from  replying.  I  reached 
home  safely  after  a  rapid  and  pleasant  run.  Baird  has  been  in 
the  city,  called  upon  me,  but  unfortunately  I  was  not  at  home  so 
missed  him.  I  also  did  not  have  time  to  stop  in  Boston  so  lost 
the  Cinereous  Owl.  I  hope  you  may  get  it  some  time  when  you 
come  through  and  will  conclude  to  dispose  of  it  to  me.  My 
recollections  of  the  moose  hunt  are  very  pleasant  and  I  feel  much 
inclined  to  try  it  again  another  fall.  Your  moose  horns  are  very 
fine  and  must  make  a  good  show.  I  should  like  to  know  what 
the  other  set  you  mention  measures.  A  black  red  squirrel  is  cer- 
tainly a  curiosity  to  say  the  least  of  it.  I  would  like  to  see  one. 
The  White-headed  Eagle  doubtless  nests  on  cliffs  at  times,  but  I 


y 


CHARLES  HALLOCK 


Founder  and  First  Editor  of  Forest  and  Stream 


CORRESPONDENCE  281 

should  judge  it  would  ouly  bo  when  there  were  no  suitable  trees 
for  the  purpose  anywhere  in  the  vicinity.  Birds,  like  man,  will 
adapt  themselves  to  circumstances,  although  at  times  they  may 
be  obliged  to  act  contrary  to  their  nature.  I  have  been  thinking 
a  good  deal  about  the  Guillemot.  It  would  be  a  fact  well  worth 
ascertaining,  if  indeed  it  is  a  fact,  that  only  the  young  change  to 
white,  or  rather  that  the  white  plumage  is  an  indication  of  imma- 
turity, and  the  black  the  livery  of  only  the  adult  bird.  I  know  no 
person  in  a  better  position  to  determine  the  question  than  your- 
self who  have  them  about  you  so  much  of  the  time.  Your 
remarks  about  naturalists  copying  from  each  other  are  perfectly 
correct,  and  it  is  from  this  bad  habit  that  so  many  errors  have 
been  promulgated.  I  shall  endeavor  in  my  work  to  be  as  inde- 
pendent as  possible.  I  am  going  to-morrow  into  the  country  to 
shoot  quail,  and  shall  try  to  have  a  shot  at  the  ducks  before  long. 
They  are  getting  to  be  plenty  now  on  the  coast ;  the  cold  weather 
at  the  north  is  driving  them  down  here. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  at  your  leisure. 
Yours  very  truly, 

D.  G.  Elliot. 

Charles  Hallock  is  a  native  of  New  York  city  where 
he  was  born  March  13,  1834.  Previous  to  his  establish- 
ment of  Forest  and  Stream,  the  leading  sportsmen's  and 
naturalists'  newspaper  in  this  country,  in  1873,  Mr. 
Hallock  had  been  at  times  editor  of  several  leading 
journals  in  this  country,  Bermuda  and  New  Brunswick. 
Since  18G0  he  has  done  much  collecting  and  field  work 
in  zoology  for  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  He  is  an 
authority  upon  ornithology,  is  the  author  of  many 
treatises  on  sporting  and  natural  history  subjects,  has 
traveled  extensively  and  had  charge  of  special  exhibits 
at  some  of  the  great  expositions. 


282    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Letters  From  Mr.  Boardman  to  Charles  Hallock 

Calais,  Maine,  March  5,  1899. 
Dear  Hallock  : 

I  received  your  card,  also  a  copy  of  The  Osprey  some  days 
ago.  T  had  engaged  the  photograph  man  to  take  my  pretty 
picture  for  you,  but  upon  the  day  it  stormed,  and  I  did  not  go, 
and  my  daughter  said  she  must  go  with  me,  I  suppose  to  fix  me, 
so  I  might  look  young  as  you  used  to  see  me.  My  daughter  has 
been  sick  with  grippe  ever  since,  but  I  hope  to  be  able  to  send 
along  the  photograph  soon. 

The  Osprey  paper  is  quite  a  good  thing ;  I  have  taken  it  ever 
since  it  was  started  in  California  under  another  name.  Coues  used 
to  write  some  good  things  for  it  and  now  is  head  manager.  Please 
accept  my  thanks  for  your  compliments  in  the  last  Forest  and 
Stream. 

There  was  a  paper  of  a  week  or  two  before  by  Mr.  A.  E. 
Brown  of  New  York  askiug  for  correspondence  about  young  bears 
and  I  wrote  my  experience  with  them  to  Forest  and  Stream. 
They  are  a  queer  lot. 

At  Lake  Jessup,  in  Florida,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Capt. 
Brock,  a  great  hunter,  who  told  me  of  bears  in  Florida  as  large  as 
any  north,  but  the  skins  I  used  to  see  wrere  all  of  a  small  breed  of 
bears.  I  wrote  Prof.  Baird  about  the  large  bears,  as  I  was  told 
by  Mr.  Brock,  and  he  wanted  a  skin.  Brock  also  told  me  of 
wolves  in  Florida  as  black  as  any  bear  and  also  but  rarely  a  black 
Lynx  rufus.  I  got  good  skins  of  the  black  wolf,  and  a  poor  skin 
of  a  black  Lynx  rufus,  but  of  good  color,  only  the  feet  were  cut  off. 
I  sent  them  to  the  Smithsonian  for  their  skin  collection.  From 
my  southern  friends  I  learn  that  the  cold  snap  destroyed  many 
birds  even  in  Middle  Florida,  besides  every  flower  and  most 
every  green  leaf.  Here  we  have  had  quite  a  fine  winter,  not  as 
much  snow  as  usual.  The  great  blizzard  did  not  get  up  to  us.  We 
had  quite  a  gale  and  about  six  inches  of  snow,  but  the  weather 
was  not  as  cold  as  in  Washington,  D.  C.  There  have  been  only 
nine  days  this  winter  when  the  steamboats  could  not  get  up  to 
the  upper  part  of  the  city  to  deliver  Boston  freight.  The  sleigh- 
ing now  is  about  gone.  Sincerely  yours. 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 


CORRKSPONDKNCK  283 

Calais,  Aug.  11,  1899. 
My  Dkar  Hallock: 

I  received  your  note  a  few  days  since  and  notice  what  you 
say  about  remaining  over  at  Dennysville  for  the  remainder  of  the 
season.  I  know  Mr.  Allen  keeps  a  better  place  than  you  could 
find  here,  and  Dennysville  is  a  good  place,  only  it  is  too  far  from 
Calais,  as  we  "  birds  of  a  feather  "  like  to  be  together. 

In  regard  to  the  black  hawk  which  you  see  in  North  Caro- 
lina, I  would  say  I  only  know  of  one  large  black  hawk  (not  steel 
blue)  that  we  call  the  Hough-legged  Archibuteo  (lagopus  sanct- 
johannis) — if  I  have  spelled  it  right.  We  have  it  here  rarely,  a 
kind  of  brownish  black,  and  I  have  seen  a  few  very  black  and 
think  this  must  be  the  hawk  you  see.  It  is  a  sluggish  flyer  about 
like  a  Red-tail  or  Marsh  Hawk.  I  don't  know  how  far  south  they 
go  but  they  used  to  be  common  down  about  the  Delaware,  and 
about  the  best  specimen  I  ever  saw  was  at  the  Academy  of  Sci- 
ence at  Philadelphia.  I  have  several  in  my  collection,  two 
mounted  ones.  I  never  saw  one  in  Florida,  but  they  may  go 
south,  and  some  of  them  may  be  blue  and  be  a  Rough-legged. 
Last  fall  one  of  my  sons  was  out  duck  shooting  and  said  a  Black 
Marsh  Hawk  flew  very  near  them.  It  was  probably  what  we 
call  a  Dark  Rough-leg.  I  once  saw  out  at  Dakota  a  Black 
Broad-wing.     It  was  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  I  think. 

Not  much  of  anything  new  over  this  way  except  picnicking 
up  and  dowu  the  river.  All  join  in  kind  regards  to  you  and  Mrs. 
Hallock. 

Yours  as  ever, 

Geo.  A.  Boardman. 

Calais,  Sept.  8,  1899. 
My  Dear  Hallock: 

I  am  glad  to  hear  you  have  been  having  so  pleasant  a  time  at 
Mount  Desert.  I  have  not  been  there  for  twenty  years  and  used 
to  think  it  was  about  the  nicest  place  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  I 
am  also  very  glad  to  hear  that  Mrs.  Hallock  is  feeling  so  much 
better. 

I  was  sorry  to  hear  yesterday  of  the  death  of  one  of  your  old 
Dennysville  neighbors,  Deacon  Vose,  who  died  very  suddenly.  I 
have  known  him  since  my  boyhood  —  a  very  nice  man.     I  was 


284     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

sorry  to  hear  of  the  death  of  old  Mr.  McLellan,  which  I  read  an 
account  of  in  the  paper.  And  that  old  horse  jockey  of  a  fellow 
that  you  sent  me  the  cutting  about  was  a  wonder.  Those  horse 
jockeys  are  a  set  who  most  always  die  young,  like  the  good  chil- 
dren we  read  about  in  the  Sunday  school  books ;  but  this  old  fel- 
low is  a  wonder. 

I  was  much  pleased  with  what  you  said  about  Mr.  Downs. 
He  was  a  nice  man.  I  have  been  at  his  place  a  number  of  times 
and  he  has  visited  me.  I  was  in  Halifax  soon  after  the  Prince  of 
Wales  was  there  in  18G0  to  have  his  great  reception  and  this  is 
the  story  some  of  the  people  told  me. 

The  Prince  had  a  long  passage  over  and  got  to  the  back  bay 
near  Downs"  place  on  Sunday.  Their  commander  in  charge 
allowed  the  Prince  and  a  couple  of  his  young  friends  and  officers 
to  go  on  shore  to  have  a  run.  They  landed  near  Downs'  place 
and  went  direct  to  his  house.  Mr.  Downs  was  told  by  one  of  the 
young  officers  who  they  were  and  was  introduced  to  the  Prince. 
Then  of  course  Downs  entertained  him  like  a  prince  —  showed 
him  all  he  had  and  gave  him  his  best  set  of  moose  horns  to  be 
put  over  his  mother's  best  door  in  the  Royal  Palace. 

The  next  morning  Halifax  was  dressed  up  for  the  greatest 
reception  it  ever  had.  All  the  notables  of  Canada  and  other 
places  were  on  the  platform,  also  the  Prince,  waiting  for  the 
great  performance  to  begin,  when  among  the  crowd  upon  the 
floor  was  an  old  rough  customer  by  the  name  of  Downs.  The 
Prince  saw  him,  knew  him,  ran  down  boy-like,  and  shook  Mr. 
Downs  with  both  hands,  then  led  him  up  on  the  platform  and 
introduced  him  to  all  his  shipmates,  officers  and  members  of  the 
party.  The  crowd  was  amazed  to  know  how  it  could  be  that 
the  Prince  should  shake  hands  with  Downs  before  he  did  with 
any  of  the  governors  or  the  big  officers  of  Canada  and  was 
also  amazed  to  know  how  Mr.  Downs  and  the  Prince  should 
appear  such  old  cronies  and  when  he  got  down  from  the  platform 
everybody  who  eould  get  a  chance  was  shaking  hands  with  Mr. 
Downs,  while  after  the  Prince  Mr.  Downs  was  the  greatest  man 
in  Halifax  for  the  day.  Mr.  Downs  was  paid  $150  in  gold  for 
the  horns. 

My  brother  Gorham  was  in  bed  most  of  the  four  weeks  he 
was  here.     He  left  me  two  weeks  ago  and  I  hear  is  much  better 


CORRESPONDENCE  285 

now.  He  is  at  Chatham,  Cape  Cod.  1  will  try  to  see  what  I  can 
do  with  Mr.  Downs'  collection.  The  Cambridge  collection  is  very 
full.  Your  legs  must  be  good  to  allow  you  to  climb  the  Mt. 
Desert  mountains;  my  legs  now  are  better  for  going  down  than 
up  lull.  We  are  all  very  well  here  and  the  weather  is  tine  and 
cool.  xUl  join  in  kind  regards  to  you  and  Mrs.  Hallock. 
Sincerely  yours, 

Geo.  A.  Boakdman. 

Dr.  Thomas  Mayo  Brewer  who,  with  Prof.  Baird  and 
Mr.  Robert  Ridgway,  spent  several  years  in  bringing 
out  the  History  of  North  American  Birds  in  five  volumes, 
was  one  of  Mr.  Boardman's  correspondents  and  visited 
him  several  times  at  his  home  in  St.  Stephen.  He  was 
a  native  of  Boston  where  he  was  born  November  21, 
1824,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  university  in  the  class  of 
1835  and  of  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1857.  He 
organized  the  publishing  firm  of  Brewer  &  Tileston, 
which  was  in  business  for  many  years.  He  edited  an 
edition  of  Wilson's  American  Ornithology  and  in  1859 
the  Smithsonian  Institution  published  his  Oology  of 
North  America.  His  work  on  the  History  of  North 
American  Birds  was  in  the  biographies  of  the  species, 
while  the  technical  descriptions  were  written  by  Prof. 
Baird  and  Mr.  Ridgway.  During  the  years  1875  and 
1876  Dr.  Brewer  visited  Great  Britain  and  the  European 
continent,  spending  much  time  in  a  personal  examination 
and  study  of  the  great  ornithological  collections  in  those 
countries. 

Writing  to  Mr.  Boardman  under  date  of  May  20,  1868, 
Dr.  Brewer  says  :  "I  am  glad  you  have  the  nest  and 
eggs  of  the  Canada  Jay.  It  is  a  great  prize.  Let  me 
have  the  nest  to  describe  before  you  let  it  go  out  of  your 
hands.    The  same  in  regard  to  those  of  the  Pine  Finch 


286    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

and  the  Goshawk.  I  want  very  much  to  see  the  finches 
in  order  to  determine  whether  either  of  the  three 
pretenders  I  now  have  are  genuine.  If  you  ever  part 
with  any  egg  of  either  of  these  three  please  give  me  the 
first  chance  unless  I  find  I  have  already  one  of  the  finch's 
eggs." 

In  1871  Mr.  Boardman  sent  Dr.  Brewer  a  nest  and  eggs 
of  some  unknown  bird  and  the  latter  writes  him  November 
23  of  that  year  that  "it  is  a  regular  puzzler."  Then 
he  says  that  he  has  gone  completely  through  the  entire 
list  of  North  American  land  birds  "  and  there  are  but 
few  of  our  known  birds  to  which  it  can  possibly  be 
attributed . ' '  Giving  the  possibilities  of  the  birds  to  which 
they  may  belong  he  says  there  are  objections  to  all  of 
them,  concluding  by  saying  :  "  When  I  go  to  Washing- 
ton this  winter  I  will  take  it  up  and  talk  it  over  with 
Baird  and  let  you  know.  But  I  doubt  if  he  can  see  his 
way  out  of  the  fog.  What  an  awful  pity  you  could  not 
have  secured  the  bird."  So  far  as  the  correspondence 
discloses,  the  identity  of  the  nest  was  never  established. 

In  1874  Dr.  Brewer  wants  Mr.  Boardman  to  come  to 
Boston.  "  I  want  very  much,"  he  says,  "  to  talk  with 
you  about  some  of  our  water  birds"  and  he  sees  no 
opportunity  to  visit  St.  Stephen.  In  this  same  letter, 
date  of  June  23,  he  writes  :  "I  am  glad  you  have  taken 
the  nest  and  eggs  of  the  collaris.  It  is  a  great  prize  — 
almost  unknown.  Where  was  the  nest  ?  On  the  ground 
I  presume.  Please  give  me  all  the  particulars.  Shall 
you  have  an  egg  to  spare  for  your  humble  servant?" 
Writing  June  29,  1877,  to  Mr.  Boardman,  accompanying 
a  package  of  about  fifty  rare  eggs,  Dr.  Brewer  closes  a 
most  interesting  letter  by  saying  :     "  How  would  you 


CORRESPONDENCE  287 

like  to  have  me  next  May  drop  down  to  the  region  of 
black  flies  and  make  an  excursion  with  you  '  up  the 
creek  ? '  Or  shall  we  then  be  too  old  ?  "  It  was  the  last 
letter  from  Dr.  Brewer  found  among  the  papers  of  Mr. 
Boardman.    He  died  at  Boston,  January  24,  1880. 

Mr.  Joel  Asaph  Allen,  now  the  curator  of  vertebrate 
zoology  at  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
Central  Park,  New  York  city,  was  one  of  Mr.  Board- 
man's  correspondents.  He  was  born  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  July  19,  1838.  He  was  a  student  under  Agassiz 
at  the  Lawrence  scientific  school  of  Harvard  University  ; 
a  member  of  several  scientific  expeditions,  and  assistant 
in  ornithology  in  the  Harvard  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology.  Mr.  Allen  was  the  first  president  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union,  serving  from  1883  to 
1890.  He  edited  the  Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornitholog- 
ical Club,  and  has  for  some  years  been  editor  of  The 
Auk,  the  leading  ornithological  review  in  this  country. 
He  has  occupied  his  present  position  since  1885. 

The  correspondence  between  these  friends  began  in 
1864,  and  was  continued  at  intervals  until  1886.  Writ- 
ing to  Mr.  Boardman  December  3,  1886,  Mr.  Allen  says: 
"In  regard  to  the  Messina  Quail  I  can  only  say  that 
none  have  ever  returned  to  breed  where  they  were 
turned  out.  It  is  the  opinion  of  those  who  have  watched 
most  carefully  the  experiment  of  their  introduction  that 
it  has  been  a  complete  failure.  In  several  instances  they 
reared  young  the  first  year  after  being  turned  out,  but 
disappeared  the  following  winter  never  to  return.  It  is 
the  general  belief  that  in  migrating  they  struck  out  to 
sea  and  were  lost."  On  October  26,  1869,  in  writing 
Mr.  Allen,  Mr.  Boardman  tells  of  obtaining  two  birds 


288      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

new  to  his  list,  the  Black  Vulture  and  Purple  Gallinule, 
"  both  in  very  fine  plumage  and  both  taken  while  Prof. 
Baird  was  with  me.  They  were  a  long  ways  north  for 
such  southern  birds."  Under  date  of  November  12, 
1864,  Mr.  Boardman  writes  Mr.  Allen : 

In  answer  to  your  question  of  how  the  White-headed  Eagle 
breeds,  I  would  say  I  have  known  but  one  instance  of  its  breed- 
ing upon  cliffs,  that  was  at  the  Wolves  Island.  1  was  told  by  the 
fishermen  of  an  eagle  breeding  upon  the  cliffs  and  supposed  it 
was  the  Golden,  so  I  sent  a  crew  to  get  the  eggs  but  they  finding 
it  the  White-head  did  not  go  over  the  cliff's,  but  amused  themselves 
by  rolling  rocks  down  over  the  nest  but  did  not  drive  the  birds 
away.  I  do  not,  however,  know  whether  they  returned  next 
year  or  not.  I  got  a  nest  of  raven's  eggs,  seven  in  number,  on  a 
cliff  near  the  same  place  last  spring  on  April  11,  the  snow  then 
being  nearly  a  foot  deep.  The  Duck  Hawks  breed  very  early — 
they  are  flying  about  in  June.  I  got  one  which  I  mounted  but 
could  see  no  pin  feathers.  It  was  shot  this  year  in  July,  a  this  sea- 
son's bird.  They  are  very  quiet  about  breeding  time  and  are  sel- 
dom seen.  I  know  of  one  place  where  they  had  been  breeding  for 
years  and  the  fishermen  living  within  half  a  mile  never  saw  or 
heard  of  the  bird.  I  have  many  times  wondered  how  they  could 
feed  themselves  and  their  young  and  never  be  seen,  but  when  the 
young  are  half  fledged  they  are  at  times  very  noisy,  and  when 
they  first  begin  to  fly  more  so  than  most  hawks,  but  they  leave 
the  breeding  places  as  soon  as  they  can  fly.  I  never  knew  them 
to  breed  upon  trees.  1  once  knew  of  a  Raven's  nest  within  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  hawk,  and  do  not  think  they  troubled  each 
other.  1  also  found,  last  year,  a  Sparrow  Hawk  and  Yellow 
Woodpecker  breeding  in  the  same  tree,  but  they  were  not  very 
peaceable.  The  Hawk  would  dive  after  the  Woodpecker  when  it 
left  its  nest.  Mr.  Jaimson,  a  fine  old  man  of  Deer  Island,  told 
me  a  story  of  seeing  an  eagle  flying  along  the  cliff  and  a  Duck 
Hawk  flew  at  the  eagle  in  a  very  spiteful  way,  probably  to  drive 
it  away  from  the  nest,  when  the  eagle  caught  the  hawk,  gave  it  a 
squeeze,  and  it  dropped  perfectly  dead.  It  was  seen  by  the  whole 
boat's  crew  who  were  fishing. 


CORRESPONDENCE  289 

Elliott  Coues  was  born  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1842,  and  became  a  very  prominent  naturalist 
and  writer  on  ornithological  subjects.  Soon  after  gradu- 
ating from  Columbian  University,  Washington,  D.  C, 
he  entered  the  army  as  a  medical  cadet,  became  assistant 
surgeon  in  1864,  but  resigned  in  1881  to  devote  his  life 
to  science.  He  was  naturalist  to  several  exploring  sur- 
veys of  the  government,  as  the  Northern  Boundary 
survey  and  the  Survey  of  the  Territories  and  was  also  a 
collaborator  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  At  different 
times  he  was  editor  of  various  scientific  journals  and 
magazines  and  the  author  of  no  less  than  fourteen  elab- 
orate works  on  ornithology,  together  with  several  hun- 
dred monographs  and  scientific  papers  in  reviews  and 
other  periodicals.  Among  the  most  important  of  his 
works  are  Key  to  North  American  Birds ;  Field  Orni- 
thology ;  New  England  Bird  Life  ;  North  American 
Rodentia,  Birds  of  the  Colorado  Valley,  and  Ornitholo- 
gical Bibliography.  Dr.  Coues  was  a  member  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  of  many  American  and 
foreign  scientific  societies  and  was  one  of  the  scientific 
editors  of  the  Century  Cyclopaedia  and  Dictionary.  He 
died  at  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  Baltimore,  Md.,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1899.  A  Memorial,  from  the  pen  of  D.  G.  Elliot, 
with  portrait,  appeared  in  the  number  of  The  Auk  for 
January,  1901,  Vol.  XVIII.,  page  1. 

Many  letters  passed  between  Mr.  Boardman  and  Dr. 
Elliott  Coues  relating  to  the  Black  Robin  of  which  a 
history  is  given  on  pages  121-122  of  this  work.  In  one 
of  those  written  by  Dr.  Coues  on  August  30,  1877,  he 
says:  "The  case  is  one  that  should  properly  go  on 
record  and  I  hope  you  will  make  a  note  of  this  for  the 


290     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Nuttall  Bulletin.  I  hope  the  youngster  may  stay  black 
and  that,  as  live  birds  are  '  mighty  uncertain '  you  have 
him  sacrificed  to  science  in  due  time  and  sent  to  the 
Smithsonian  where  all  good  birds  go  —  or  ought  to  go  — 
when  they  die."  This  letter  was  written  at  Oakland, 
Ind.,  and  he  adds:  "I  am  taking  a  little  'vacation,' 
so  called,  by  euphemism,  though  I  don't  see  much 
difference.    I  seem  condemned  to  the  galley  for  life." 

Mr.  Ruthven  Deane,  writing  from  Cambridge,  Mass., 
to  Mr.  Boardman,  July  16,  1872,  says  :  "I  was  pleased 
to  hear  of  your  taking  a  specimen  of  Vireo  Philadel- 
phicus.  Mr.  Brewster  and  myself  took  three  females  at 
Umbagog  Lake  in  June.  Your  specimen  now  makes 
the  fifth  taken  in  New  England."  February  10,  1874, 
he  writes  :  "I  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  the 
Nyctale  Richardsonii  has  been  taken  in  your  vicinity 
in  spring,  as  it  has  generally  been  thought  that  only  the 
coldest  winters  drove  it  into  the  limits  of  the  United 
States."    On  November  11,  1876,  Mr.  Deane  says: 

We  have  had  a  very  early  and  uncommonly  large  flight  of 
Snowy  Owls  since  the  first  of  the  month  on  our  coast  and  it  is 
hard  to  conjecture  the  probable  cause,  especially  as  they  appeared 
in  such  mild  weather  and  to  my  knowledge  no  other  so  northern 
a  species  has  been  driven  south  in  numbers.  My  object  in  writing 
is  to  ask  if  you  have  had  many  in  your  section  or  if  to  your 
knowledge  any  have  been  taken  on  Grand  Manan.  I  have  learned 
of  nearly  two  hundred  specimens  having  been  seen  and  shot 
between  Saco,  Me.,  and  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  the  majority 
were  shot.  Most  of  them  have  been  taken  on  the  coast  although 
numbers  have  been  seen  in  country  towns  and  a  few  have  been 
seen  perched  on  the  housetops  in  Boston,  Charlestown,  etc. 


CORRESPONDENCE  291 

Letter  from  Lieut- Gov.  Arthur  H.  Gordon  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Fredericton,  July  15,  1863. 
My  Dear  Sir  : 

I  was  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  trouble  you  took  iu  procur- 
ing me  the  squirrels.  They  arrived  all  safe  and  very  pretty  little 
creatures  they  were,  but  alas !  ouly  two  or  three  days  after  they 
came  their  cage  was  found  empty  some  stupid  person  having 
allowed  them  to  escape  or  some  ill-disposed  person  having  stolen 
them !  It  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me  as  I  had  fully  intended 
to  take  them  with  me  to  England  for  the  Zoological  Gardens.  I 
cannot  ask  you  to  take  so  much  trouble  again  in  procuring  me 
another  pair,  but  should  you  hear  of  one  perhaps  you  will  kindly 
remember  that  I  am  looking  out  for  some  and  that  I  am  quite 
ready  to  pay  well  for  them. 

There  is  another  animal  which  I  am  rather  anxious  to  add  to 
my  collection,  the  fisher  or  pecquan.  It  is,  I  believe,  very  rare.  I 
have  never  seen  even  a  dead  specimen. 

We  have  been  parched  for  want  of  rain  but  it  is  falling  now 
at  last. 

Pray  do  not  forget  the  list  of  birds  and  beasts  you  were  good 
enough  to  promise  that  you  would  contribute  to  my  lieport  to  the 
Queen.     If  a  few  words  as  to  the  habits,  appearance,  etc.,  of  each 
species  were  added  it  would  much  increase  its  value. 
Yours  very  sincerely, 

Arthur  H.  Gordon. 

Letter  from  Prof.  L.  W.  Bailey  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Fredericton,  June  5th,  1874. 
My  Dear  Sir: 

Many  thanks  for  your  kind  letter  of  the  2tith  ult.  and  for 
your  generous  answer  to  my  somewhat  bold  request.  The  birds 
you  mention  will  be  a  very  great  addition  to  this  part  of  our 
cabinet,  and  will,  I  trust,  do  much  to  awaken  a  more  general 
interest  in  the  whole. 

I  dare  say  that  our  students  could  do  something  in  the  way  of 
egg  collecting,  but  I  have  felt  a  little  reluctant  to  encourage  them 
in  this  direction,  as  I  have  somewhere  read  or  heard  (perhaps 


292    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

from  yourself)  that  eggs,  unless  thoroughly  identified  at  the  time 
of  collection  as  belonging  to  any  particular  species,  are  useless  or 
worse  than  useless,  being  liable  only  to  produce  confusion.  Our 
students  at  this  season  are  also  too  busy  preparing  for  coming 
examinations  to  devote  much  attention  to  collecting.  Unfortu- 
nately my  most  promising  student  in  natural  history,  and  one 
who  had  already  done  a  good  deal  in  the  way  of  preparing  skele- 
tons, etc.,  was  suddenly  carried  oft"  last  winter  by  scarlet  fever — 
the  only  death  which  has  ever  occurred  among  the  students  of 
the  college. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  your  California  trip  was  such  a  pleas- 
ant one.  I  have  always  had  a  yearning  to  see  some  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  west,  but  am  afraid  that  it  will  be  long  before  I  can 
get  there. 

I  hope  you  will  not  abandon  your  idea  of  a  visit  to  Frederic- 
ton  and  the  St.  John  river  this  summer.  I  shall  myself  be  away 
on  the  geological  survey  after  July  1,  but  the  family  will  be  at 
home  except  during  the  first  fortnight  in  July  (when  they  pro- 
pose to  go  to  Campobello)  and  will  be  glad  to  see  you.  My  own 
headquarters  for  a  time  at  least  after  going  from  home  will  be  at 
Hampstead  Village  near  Long  Island  on  the  St.  John  river,  not 
far  from  the  place  I  told  you  of  two  or  three  seasons  ago.  Could 
you  make  it  convenient  to  come  there  any  time  in  the  early  part 
of  July;  I  doubt  not  that  you  would  find  good  sport  on  the  hills 
and  lakes  which  abound  in  that  vicinity. 

As  you  speak  of  a  number  of  birds  as  being  already  mounted, 
it  has  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  as  well  to  send  them  at 
once,  if  convenient,  as  they  will  thus  serve  to  make  a  better  dis- 
play at  our  coming  commencement.  By  the  way,  have  you  any 
specimen  of  the  little  yellow  canary-like  bird  here  known  as  the 
Thistle-bird?    I  should  like  very  much  to  get  one. 

Please  give  my  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Boardman  and  believe 

me,  Yours  very  truly, 

L.  W.  Bailey. 


a^/^fc 


*S    A-&UOXS-      tS^rutSi/  ^Ccy^^i       </f      i/x^P^.    0     / 

/>  /?    ft      >  ®^^2^4_ 

kS  m   y  r~C^L^jt^g^t^ 


CORRESPONDENCE  293 

Letter  from   Prof.  P.  L.   Sclater,   London,    Eng.,   to 
Mr.  Boardman 

London,  Jan.  3d,  18G5. 
Dear  Sir  : 

You  must,  I  fear,  consider  me  a  very  bad  correspondent  for  not 
having  previously  replied  to  your  letter  of  July  last.  We  shall 
be  glad  to  take  advantage  of  your  kind  offer  to  supply  some  of 
the  mammals  of  your  country  which  are  deficient  in  our  series, 
but  as  you  say,  the  difficulty  is  the  transport. 

The  only  plan,  I  think,  is  to  place  a  few  animals  on  board  any 
ship  you  may  And  running  into  the  Thames,  under  the  charge  of 
the  ship's  butcher,  giving  him  a  letter  to  me  requesting  payment 
of  10s.  or  20s.  per  head  for  such  of  them  as  he  shall  deliver  alive 
in  this  country.  It  will  be  necessary  to  get  the  captain's  permis- 
sion, of  course,  but  this  you  will  not  find  difficult  with  your  con- 
nections. 

We  receive  a  good  many  animals  from  the  Australian  col- 
onies which  are  sent  over  exactly  in  this  way. 

As  regards  my  own  collection  which  you  so  kindly  otter  to 
assist,  what  I  now  most  want  are  the  sterna  of  birds  of  which  I 
am  now  forming  a  collection.  If  you  could  send  me  a  few  of 
these  belonging  to  American  genera  not  represented  in  Europe 
(such  as  Tyrannus,  Tyranga,  Podilymbus,  etc.)  I  should  be  grate- 
ful. You  might  send  them  quite  in  the  rough  as  I  can  get  them 
polished  up  afterwards,  but  they  should  be  correctly  labelled. 

I  shall  soon  be  able  to  send  you  a  new  edition  of  our  list  of 
living  animals. 

Very  truly  yours, 

P.   L.   8CLATER. 

Letter  from  Charles  E.  Aiken  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Colorado  Springs,  Colo.,  Oct.  9,  1877. 
Mr.  Geo.  A.  Boardman: 

Dear  Sir  —  I  have  just  received  your  favor  of  the  3d  inst. 
Your  Robin  is  certainly  a  very  interesting  specimen.  The 
transition  of  black  to  white  in  the  plumage  of  birds  I  have  never 
heard  of  before,  and  it  indicates  an  analogy  in  the  causes  which 


294    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

produce  these  abnormal  stages,  which  I  did  not  suppose  existed. 
As  a  cabinet  specimen  the  bird  would  doubtless  be  more  valuable 
in  its  present  plumage  than  it  will  be  if  it  becomes  entirely  white, 
but  I  should  consider  the  loss  compensated  for  by  the  interest 
you  will  take  in  observing  developments.  My  suggestion  is  that 
you  have  the  bird  photographed  and  spare  his  life  a  little  longer 
at  any  rate.  It  would  fee  interesting  to  observe  what  effect,  if 
any,  would  be  produced  by  plucking  the  old  plumage  from  a  cer- 
tain spot  on  the  body  —  as  the  head  —  I  believe  that  in  all  pure 
albinos  the  skin,  like  the  plumage,  is  colorless.  I  should  sup- 
pose that  in  melanotic  specimens  the  skin  would  be  black  or  at 
least  quite  dark.  If  this  was  the  case  in  your  birds,  does  the  skin 
lose  color  simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of  the  white 
feathers  ? 

I  have  obtained  a  perfect  albino  myself  this  fall  —  a  gray 
wolf  —  which  has  even  the  nose  and  eyelids  without  color.  I 
have  heard  of  two  albino  Buteo  borealis. 

If  I  succeed  in  getting  an  adult  Golden  Eagle  this  winter  I 
will  remember  your  want  and  shall  be  happy  to  exchange  for 
some  of  your  specimens.  Eagles  were  formerly  quite  plentiful 
here  but  so  many  have  been  killed  by  hunters  and  sportsmen  that 
they  are  not  often  obtained  now.  I  received  one  about  two  weeks 
ago  but  in  immature  plumage. 

I  have  been  wanting  to  secure  an  Everglade  Kite  for  a  long 
time.  There  are  a  number  of  other  Florida  birds  which  I  need 
but  this  one  is  the  most  important. 

You  speak  of  Sage  Grouse  —  do  you  need  any?  I  am  think- 
ing some  of  taking  a  trip  over  the  "  Eange  "  this  fall  and  if  I  do  I 
expect  to  be  able  to  get  specimens  of  the  Sage  Grouse  as  well  as 
Dusky  Grouse  and  Ptarmigan. 

Yours  truly, 

Chas.  E.  Aiken. 

Letter  from  Dr.  Ezekiel  Holmes  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Winthrop,  Dec.  30,  1862. 
Geo.  A.  Boardman,  Esq.  : 

My  Dear  Sir  —  Many  thanks  to  you  for  your  catalogue  of 
birds  and  also  for  your  communication  of  the  23d  inst. 


CORRESPONDENCE  295 

I  am  happy  to  find  you  still  keeping  your  ornithological  eye 
on  the  watch  for  new  specimens  and  am  glad  that  you  are  so 
successful  in  finding  new  comers.  I  feel  a  great  interest  in  this 
department  of  natural  history,  especially  as  it  regards  our  own 
State.  It  is  a  pity  that  naturalists  have  made  so  many  new  names 
for  birds  long  ago  appropriately  named.  It  loads  the  science 
with  synonyms  without  corresponding  benefit.  Names  are,  in 
one  sense,  arbitrary  and  adopted  merely  to  enable  us  to  identify  an 
individual,  or  individuals  by  the  hearing  of  it,  while  that  name 
should  be  descriptive ;  but  whether  it  be  or  not,  when  it  has  been 
promulgated  that  should  be  enough,  and  not  subject  to  change 
for  light  causes. 

I  did  not  get  down  so  far  as  Calais  last  summer,  but  hope  to 
if  the  Scientific  Survey  of  the  State  should  be  continued.  I  have 
just  finished  my  preliminary  report  on  the  fishes  of  Maine,  as  far 
as  investigated  this  past  season.  I  have  made  no  changes  in  classi- 
fication or  nomenclature,  but  have  taken  my  own  mode  of  telling 
my  story  with  a  view  of  making  it  as  familiar  to  "  the  masses,"  as 
the  politicians  sa)',  as  I  could,  or  at  least,  as  much  so  as  the 
scientific  phrases  and  technical  terms  would  let  me.  I  will  send 
you  a  copy  when  published.  I  suppose  I  have  about  a  quarter 
part,  or  perhaps  half  of  the  fishes  which  are,  or  are  to  be  found 
in  our  waters,  on  my  list  of  this  year.  If  we  go  on,  I  must  come 
down  into  your  section  early  to  learn  what  I  can  of  herrings  and 
herring  fisheries  in  Maine  and  neighborhood,  and  if  I  do,  will  be 
happy  to  call  upon  you.  In  the  mean  time  T  remain, 
Truly  and  cordially  yours, 

E.  Holmes. 

P.  S.  Any  facts,  or  even  "  sailors*  yarns  "  and  "  fish  stories" 
that  may  come  to  your  knowledge  in  regard  to  fish  and  fishing  in 
Maine,  will  be  interesting  and  valuable  to  me  if  you  will  send 
them. 

Letter  from  Dr.  A.  L.  Heemann  to  Mr.  Boardman 

Philadelphia,  May,  18G2. 
Dear  Friend  Boardman  : 

I  received  your  box  three  days  ago  for  which  I  have  many 
thanks  to  return  as  there  were  several  new  species  to  my  collec- 
tion.  The  Kavens  were  certainly  the  largest  sized  ones  I  ever  saw 


296     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

and  should  not  wonder  if  Baird  on  receiving  his  should  make  a 
new  species  of  it.  Your  eggs  were  also  all  desirable,  the  owl 
new  to  me ;  the  snipe  finished  out  a  series  of  four  I  have  long  been 
trying  for,  and  the  Black  Captit  appears  so  different  from  the  eggs 
here  that  1  should  feel  obliged  to  you  if  you  can  procure  me  one 
of  the  birds  of  which  you  sent  me  the  eggs.  I  am  on  the  look- 
out for  some  birds1  skins  for  you  and  will  try  to  make  an  envoy 
before  I  leave  here.  Our  spring  has  set  in  and  we  have  now  the 
warblers  in  abundance  which  are  traveling  on  their  northward 
course.  Pay  particular  attention  to  them  and  their  eggs  as  I  am 
almost  without  any  of  them  in  my  collection,  but  I  hope  one  of 
these  days  to  find  them  in  that  northern  region  which  I  most 
earnestly  desire  to  visit.  In  your  letter  you  say  that  among  my 
duplicates  there  were  several  desirable  birds  and  now  I  ask  why 
you  did  not  take  them  ?  Please  send  me  a  list  of  what  you  wish 
and  you  shall  have  all  that  I  have  among  my  duplicates,  as  they 
are  intended  for  that  purpose.  I  am  now  hard  at  work  collecting 
what  I  can  and  some  of  our  spring  birds  are  already  breeding. 
Mr.  Krider  is  not  perfectly  well  and  finds  it  out  of  his  power  to 
come  and  pay  you  a  visit  as  his  affairs  in  the  sutler  business  in 
our  army  are  in  such  a  condition  that  he  cannot  leave  here  for 
some  time.  I  should  like  very  much  to  see  your  supposed  eagles' 
eggs  and  especially  if  the  nest  was  found  on  the  rocks.  Our 
common  Bald  Eagle  always  builds  on  trees,  our  Golden  Eagle  on 
rocks,  but  the  eggs  are  very  much  freckled  with  red  and  brown 
spots  which  does  not  appear  to  be  the  case  with  yours.  Mr. 
Krider  was  much  pleased  to  see  the  eggs  of  the  English  snipe, 
and  if  you  get  any  more  please  send  a  pair  to  him.  With  regard 
to  any  warblers'  eggs  you  may  have  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have 
them  even  though  not  thoroughly  identified  as  I  might  go  to 
Washington  and  study  them  out  with  or  from  Prof.  Baird's  col- 
lection. He  has  just  sent  me  a  set  of  eggs  among  which  are  many 
new  species  to  my  collection  and  I  begin  again  to  hope  that  some 
of  these  days  I  shall  have  a  show  of  the  North  American  species. 
Could  you  not  obtain  some  of  the  Raven's  eggs  of  which  you 
sent  me  the  bird?  The  fact  is,  that  I  would  like  to  impress  on 
your  mind  that  even  the  commonest  species  breeding  in  your  part 
of  the  country  would  be  valuable  both  to  John  Krider  and  myself. 


CORRESPONDENCE  297 

I  have  not,  for  instance,  a  well  authenticated  egg  of  the  Wood 
Duck  or  Dusky  Duck,  which  both  appear  to  be  common  with  you. 
I  want  as  soon  as  you  can  make  out  a  list  of  desired  birds  to 
send  it  to  me  at  once  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do  to  till  it. 
Much  obliged  to  you  if  you  can  get  me  the  eggs  marked  on  the 
English  list,  and  I  gave  you  at  the  same  time  a  list  of  what  Ameri- 
can eggs  I  could  supply  and  if  the  gentleman  desires  any  of  them 
let  me  know  it  at  once.  Your  friend, 

A.  L.  Heemann. 

Among  Mr.  Boardman's  papers  have  been  found  many 
letters  from  amateur  and  little  known  naturalists  who 
wrote  to  make  inquiries  respecting  puzzling  matters  in 
ornithology  or  to  thank  him  for  specimens  sent  or 
information  given.  Here  is  a  specimen  that  is  most 
gratifying.  It  was  written  by  William  H.  Hoyt,  Stam- 
ford, Conn.,  and  bears  date  August  24,  1886,  but  only 
the  opening  paragraph  of  the  long  letter  is  given : 

Your  letter  came  duly  to  hand  and  yesterday  A.  M.  the 
box  of  eggs  and  skins  arrived,  and  I  think  that  during  the  half 
hour  I  took  to  unpack  it  I  was  as  near  the  summit  of  human 
happiness  as  man  ever  attains.  Being  an  enthusiastic  naturalist 
yourself,  if  you  will  call  to  mind  some  boxes  you  have  perhaps 
received  from  the  Smithsonian  or  elsewhere,  and  remember  the 
delight  of  unpacking  it,  you  will  know  how  the  treasures  you 
sent  affected  me.  I  think  there  is  no  pleasure  so  healthy,  so  full 
and  so  satisfactory  as  that  which  comes  with  the  gratification  of 
a  naturalist's  desire.  I  will  of  course  make  one  exception  —  that 
of  human  love  and  friendship.  I  never  was  so  pleased  with  a 
box  before,  because  I  never  have  had  anything  so  rare  as  the 
specimens  it  contained. 

Many  letters  of  a  similar  nature  are  among  the  papers, 
showing  to  what  a  large  extent  Mr.  Boardman  was  send- 
ing specimens  to  distant  ornithologists  and  carrying  on 
a  constant  correspondence  with  lesser  known  naturalists 
as  well  as  with  those  who  were  famous. 


CHAPTER  XI 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS 


"l^TEXT  to  his  large  collection  in  ornithology  the 
-A_^l  work  that  gave  Mr.  Boardman  great  authority 
as  a  naturalist  and  brought  him  into  correspondence 
with  so  many  students  who  had  never  seen  his  collection 
were  the  lists  of  the  fauna  of  the  St.  Croix  valley  which 
he  published  from  time  to  time  in  the  scientific  journals. 
The  basis  of  his  list  of  birds  were  those  first  published 
in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History  in  1862,  Vol.  IX.,  pages  122-233.  As  his  interest 
in  the  natural  history  of  his  locality  widened  Mr.  Board- 
man  studied  all  its  branches  and,  as  was  his  custom, 
made  records  of  all  his  observations.  The  following  lists 
embrace  the  results  of  his  studies  in  the  faunal  distribu- 
tion of  Maine  and  New  Brunswick. 

These  lists  were  finally  revised  by  Mr.  Boardman  and 
published  in  the  columns  of  the  Calais  Weekly  Times 
between  November  23,  1899  and  February  5,  1900,  the 
old  scientific  nomenclature  being  used.  But  owing  to  our 
increased  knowledge  of  the  relations  which  different  fami- 
lies and  species  of  birds  bear  to  each  other  the  generic 
names  of  many  species  have  been  changed  since  Mr. 
Boardman's  list  was  originally  published. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  299 

Also  in  scientific  nomenclature  it  is  the  custom  to  give 
the  first  scientific  name  applied  to  a  species  as  its  correct 
name  and  treating  all  subsequently  applied  names  of 
that  species  as  synonyms.  In  accordance  with  this  lat- 
ter custom  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  change  the 
long-accepted  names  of  many  species  for  others  which 
were  applied  by  other  scientists  at  earlier  dates  and 
which  therefore  had  precedence.  For  these  causes  the 
nomenclature  originally  used  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Boardman's  list  differed  quite  essentially  from  that  now 
accepted  by  science.  To  have  published  the  list  of  birds 
with  the  old  nomenclature  would  have  perpetuated  errors 
and  employed  a  language  obsolete  to  science.  There- 
fore the  list  has  been  revised  to  correspond  with  that  of 
the  American  Ornithologists'  Union.  In  other  particu- 
lars Mr.  Boardman's  list  as  published  in  the  Calais  Times 
remains  unchanged. 

In  the  list  of  fishes  the  authority  followed  in  nomen- 
clature has  been  The  Fishes  of  North  and  Middle  Amer- 
ica, by  David  Starr  Jordan,  president  of  Iceland  Stanford 
Junior  University  and  Barton  Warren  Evermann,  Icthy- 
ologist  to  the  United  States  Fish  Commission,  in  four 
volumes,  being  Bulletin  No.  47  of  the  United  States 
National  Museum,  Washington,  D.C.,  1896-1900.  In 
the  list  of  mammals  the  authority  has  been  American 
Animals :  A  Popular  Guide  to  the  Mammals  of  North 
America  north  of  Mexico,  with  Intimate  Biographies  of 
the  More  Familiar  Species,  by  Whitmer  Stone  and  Wil- 
liam Everett  Cram,  New  York,  1902.  In  the  list  of 
reptiles  the  authority  has  been  The  Century  Dictionary 
and  Cyclopedia,  New  York,  1899. 


300    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

St.  Croix  Birds 

Wilson's  Thrush.  Hylocichla  fuscescens  (Stepk.). 
Not  uncommon ;  breeds. 

Olive-backed  Thrush.  Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsonii 
{Cab.).    Not  plentiful  in  summer;  some  breed. 

Hermit  Thrush.  Hylocichla  guttata  pallasii  {Cab.). 
Very  abundant  ;  one  of  our  best  songsters. 

American  Robin.  Merula migratoria  {Linn.).  Abund- 
ant everywhere. 

Cat-bird.  Galeoscoptes  carolinensis  {Linn.).  Not  very 
abundant  ;  breeds. 

Stone  chat.  Saxicola  cenanthe  leucorhoa  (GmeL). 
Accidental,  only  two  specimens. 

Bluebird.  Sialia  sialis  {Linn.).  Not  common;  few 
breed. 

Ruby-crowned  Wren.  Regulus  calendula  {Linn.). 
Rare  ;  may  breed. 

Golden-crowned  Wren.  Regulus  satrapa  Licht.  More 
common  ;  few  remain  all  winter. 

Black-capped  Chickadee.  Parus  atricapillus  Linn. 
Common,  winter  and  summer. 

Hudsonian  Chickadee.  Parus  hudsonicus  Forst.  Not 
very  abundant ;  few  breed. 

White-bellied  Nuthatch.  Sitta  carolinensis  Lath. 
Rare ;  breeds. 

Red-bellied  Nuthatch.  Sitta  canadensis  Linn.  Abun- 
dant ;  breeds. 

Brown  Creeper.  Certhiafamiliarisamericana  {Bonap.). 
Not  very  common  ;  breeds. 

Winter  Wren.  Olbiorchilus  hiemalis  (  Vieill.).  Resi- 
dent ;  not  abundant. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  301 

American  Titlark.  Anthus  pensilvanicus  {Lath.). 
Common  in  migrations. 

Black  and  White  Creeper.  Muiotilta  varia  {Linn.). 
Common  ;  arrives  early  in  May. 

Prothonotary  Warbler.  Protonotaria  citrea  {Bodd.). 
Very  rare,  only  a  straggler. 

Nashville  Warbler.  Helminthophila  rubricapilla 
(  Wils.).    Common  ;  breeds. 

Tennessee  Warbler.  Helminthophila  peregrina(  Wils.). 
Common ;  breeds. 

Bine  Yellow-backed  Warbler.  Compsothlypis  ameri- 
cana  usneae  Brewster.    Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Cape  May  Warbler.  Dendroica  tigrina  {Gmel.).  Rare, 
some  years  common ;  breeds. 

Summer  Yellow  Warbler.  Dendroica  aestiva  {Gmel.). 
Abundant ;  breeds. 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler.  Dendroica  caerulescens 
{Gmel.).    Not  abundant  all  summer. 

Yellow-rump  Warbler.  Dendroica  coronata  {Linn.). 
Very  abundant ;  comes  early. 

Black  and  Yellow  Warbler.  Dendroica  maculosa 
{Gmel.).    Abundant;  breeds. 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler.  Dendroica  pensylvanica 
{Linn.).    Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Bay-breasted  Warbler.  Dendroica  castanea  {Wils.). 
Not  uncommon ;  breeds. 

Black-poll  Warbler.  Dendroica  striata  {Forst.).  Not 
uncommon ;   breeds. 

Blackburnian  Warbler.  Dendroica  blackburniae 
(Gmel.).    Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Black-throated  Green  Warbler.  Dendroica  virens 
{Gmel.).    Abundant;  breeds. 


302    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Pine-creeping  Warbler.  Dendroica  vigorsii  (And.). 
Very  rare  ;  only  one  specimen. 

Yellow  Red-poll  Warbler.  Dendroica  palmarum  hypo- 
chrysea  Ridgw.    Very  abundant ;   breeds. 

Golden-crowned  Thrush.  Seiurus  aurocapillus(Z,m«. ) . 
Very  abundant ;  breeds. 

Small-billed  Water  Thrush.  Seiurus  noveboracensis 
(GmeL).    Common;  breeds. 

Mourning  Warbler.  Geothlypis  Philadelphia  (  Wils.). 
Very  rare. 

Maryland  Yellow  Throat.  Geothlypis  trichas  brachi- 
dactyla  (Swain.).    Abundant;  breeds. 

Wilson's  Black-capped  Yellow  Warbler.  Wilsonia 
pusilla  (  Wils.).    Not  very  abundant;  breeds. 

Canadian  Flycatching  Warbler.  Wilsonia  canadensis. 
(Linn.).    Common  ;  breeds. 

American  Red  Start.  Setophaga  ruticilla  (Linn.). 
Very  abundant ;  breeds. 

Red-eyed  Vireo.  Vireo  olivaceus  (Linn.).  Very 
abundant ;  breeds. 

Philadelphia  Vireo.  Vireo  philadelphicus  (Cass.). 
Rare. 

Warbling  Vireo.  Vireo  gilvus  (  Vieill.).  Not  plenty  ; 
remains  all  summer. 

Blue-headed  Vireo.  Vireo  solitarius  (Wils.).  Not 
plenty  ;  remains  all  winter. 

Great  Northern  Shrike.  L,anius  borealis  (  Vieill. ) .  Fall 
and  winter;  common. 

White-rump  Shrike.  Lanius  ludovicianusZi#».  Rare; 
breeds. 

Northern  Wax  Wing.  Ampelis  garrulus  Linn.  Rare ; 
some  winters  in  large  flocks. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  303 

Cedar  Wax  Wing.  Ampelis  cedrorum  (  Vieill. ) .  Com- 
mon, some  in  winter;  breeds. 

Purple  Martin.  Progne  subis  {Linn.).  Common; 
breeds. 

Cliff  Swallow.  Petrochelidon  lunifrons  {Say).  Very- 
abundant  ;    breeds. 

Barn  Swallow.  Hirundo  erythrogaster  Bodd.  Very 
abundant ;  breeds. 

White-bellied  swallow.  Tachycineta  bicolor  (  Vieill.). 
Very  abundant  ;  breeds. 

Bank  Swallow.  Riparia  riparia  {Linn.).  Very 
abundant ;  cheap. 

Scarlet  Tanager.  Piranga  erythromelas  Vieill.  Rare  ; 
breeds. 

Summer  Red  Bird.  Piranga  rubra  {Linn.).  Grand 
Manan.     Rare  ;  only  two  specimens. 

Pine  Grosbeak.  Pinicola  enucleator  leucura  {Midler) . 
Common  in  winter  ;  a  few  in  summer. 

Purple  Finch.  Carpodacus  purpureus  {Gmel.). 
Abundant ;  breeds. 

American  Crossbill.  Loxia  curvirostra  minor  {Brehm) . 
Uncertain,  some  winters  abundant ;  breeds  in  winter. 

White-winged  Crossbill.  Loxia  leucoptera  Gmel.  Un- 
certain, some  winters  abundant ;  breeds  in  winter. 

Common  Red  Poll.  Acanthis  linaria  {Li?m.)  .  Win- 
ters common  ;  breeds. 

American  Gold  Finch  (Thistle  Bird).  Astragalinus 
tristis  {Linn.).    Abundant;  breeds. 

Pine  Finch.  Spinus  pinus  ( IVils.)  .  Winter  visitant ; 
some  breed- 
Snow  Bunting.  Passerina  nivalis  {Linn.).  Winter 
visitant. 


304    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Lapland  Longspur.  Calcarius  lapponicus  (Linn.). 
Very  rare. 

Savannah  Sparrow.  Ammodramus  sandwichensis 
savanna  (  Wils. ) .    Abundant;  breeds. 

Grass  Finch.  Pocecetes  gramineus  (Gmel.).  Abund- 
ant ;  breeds. 

Yellow-wing  Sparrow.  Ammodramus  savannarum 
passerinus  (Wils.).    Very  rare  ;  accidental. 

Sharp-tail  Finch.  Ammodramus  nelsoni  subvirgatus 
(Dwight).    Not  plenty. 

White-crowned  Sparrow.  Zonotrichia  leucophrys 
(Forst.).    Very  rare. 

White-throat  Sparrow.  Zonotrichia  albicollis  (Gmel.). 
Abundant. 

Tree  Sparrow.  Spizella  monticola  (Gmel.).  Only  in 
migrations. 

Clipping  Sparrow.  Spizella  socialis  (Wils.).  Very 
abundant. 

Black  Snow  Bird.  Junco  hyemalis  (Linn.).  Very 
abundant. 

Song  Sparrow.  Melospiza  melodia  (Wilson).  Very 
abundant. 

Swamp  Sparrow.  Melospiza  georgiana  (Lath.).  Not 
uncommon. 

Lincoln's  Finch.  Melospiza  lincolnii  (And.).  Very 
rare. 

Fox-colored  Sparrow.  Passerella  iliaca  (Merr.).  Fall 
and  spring. 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak.  Zamelodia  ludoviciana 
(Linn.).    Rare ;  breeds. 

Blue  Grosbeak.  Guiraca  cserulea  (Linn.).  Grand 
Manan  ;  accidental. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  305 

Indigo  Bunting.  Cyanospiza  cyanea  (Linn.).  Not 
uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Bobolink.  Dolichonyx  oryzivorus  (Linn.).  Very 
abundant. 

Cow  Bird.     Molothrus  ater  (Dodd.).    Rare. 

Red-winged  Blackbird.  Agelaius  phoeniceus  (Linn.). 
Abundant. 

Meadow  Lark.  Sturuella  magna  (Linn.).  Very  rare  ; 
only  accidental. 

Orchard  Oriole.  Icterus  spurius  (Linn.).  Very  rare  ; 
only  accidental. 

Baltimore  Oriole.  Icterus  galbula  (Linn.) .  Not  com- 
mon ;    rare. 

Rusty  Blackbird.  Scolecophagus  carolinus  (Mull.). 
Common  in  migrations  ;   few  in  summer. 

Purple  Grackle.  Quiscalus  quiscula  oeneus  (Ridgw.). 
Very  abundant. 

American  Raven.  Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgw. 
Not  abundant ;  breeds. 

Common  Crow.  Corvus  americanus  And.  Common, 
resident. 

Blue  Jay.  Cyanocitta  cristata  (Linn.).  Common, 
resident. 

Canada  Jay.  Perisoreus  canadensis  (Linn.).  Com- 
mon, resident. 

Shore  Lark.     Otocoris  alpestris  (Linn.).    Very  rare. 

King  Bird.  Tyranuus  tyrannus  (Linn.).  Very 
abundant. 

Great  Crested  Flycatcher.  Myiarchus  criuitus  (Linn.). 
Very  rare. 

Phoebe  Bird  Pewee.     Sayornis  phcebe  (Lath.).    Rare. 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher.  Contopus  borealis  (Swains. ) . 
Not  uncommon ;   breeds. 


306   THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Wood  Pewee.    Contopus  virens  {Linn.).    Not  uncom- 
mon ;   breeds. 

Yellow-bellied   Flycatcher.     Empidonax    flaviventris 
Baird.     Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Traill's     Flycatcher.     Empidonax    traillii     alnorum 
Brewst.    Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Ipswich  Sparrow.    Ammodramus  princeps  {Mayn.). 
St.  Andrews ;  two. 

Least  Flycatcher.    Empidonax  minimus  Baird.   Abun- 
dant. 

Ruby-throated   Humming   Bird.     Trochilus  colubris 
Linn.    Abundant. 

Chimney  Swift.     Chaetura  pelagica  {Linn.).     Abun- 
dant. 

Whippoorwill.    Antrostomus  vociferus  (  Wilson).   Not 
uncommon. 

Night-hawk.    Chordeiles  virginiauus  {Gmel.).  Abun- 
dant. 

Hairy    Woodpecker.     Dryobates     villosus    {Linn.). 
Abundant. 

Downy  Woodpecker.    Dryobates  pubescens  {Linn.). 
Abundant. 

Black-backed     Three-toed     Woodpecker.       Picoides 
arcticus  {Swains.).    Not  uncommon  ;  few  in  summer. 

Banded    Three-toed    Woodpecker.      Picoides    ameri- 
canus  Brehm.    Not  uncommon  ;  few  in  summer. 

Yellow-bellied     Woodpecker.      Sphyrapicus     varius 
{Linn.).    Common. 

Pileated  Woodpecker.    Ceophlceus  pileatus  abieticola 
Bangs.    Not  uncommon. 

Red-headed   Woodpecker.     Melanerpes  erythroceph- 
alus  {Linn.).    Very  rare. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  307 

Yellow-shafted  Flicker.  Colaptes  auratus  (Linn.). 
Abundant. 

Belted  Kingfisher.    Ceryle  alcyon  (Linn.).  Abundant. 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo.  Coccyzus  americanus  (Linn.). 
Very  rare  ;  only  accidental. 

Black-billed  Cuckoo.  Coccyzus  erythropthalmus 
(  Wilson ) .    Common . 

American  Long-eared  Owl.  Asio  wilsoniauus  (Less.). 
Not  uncommon. 

Short-eared  Owl.  Asio  accipitrinus  (Pall.).  Not  un- 
common. 

Barred  Owl.  Syrnium  nebulosum  (Forst.).  Abun- 
dant. 

Great  Gray  Owl.  Scotiaptex  cinerea  (Gmel.).  Very 
rare  ;  only  in  winter. 

Richardson's  Owl.  Nyctala  tengmalmi  richardsoni 
(Donap.).    Not  uncommon;  winter. 

Saw- whet  Owl.     Nyctala  acadia  (Gmel.).    Common. 

Little  Screech  Owl.  Megascops  asio  (Lijin.).  Very 
rare ;  accidental. 

Great  Horned  Owl.  Bubo  virginiauus  (Gmel.).  Com- 
mon. 

Snowy  Owl.  Nyctea  nyctea  (Linn.).  Some  winters 
common  ;  uncertain. 

Hawk  Owl.  Surnia  ulula  caparoch  (Mali.),  some 
winters  common. 

Gyrfalcon.  Falco  rusticolus  gyrfalco  (Linn.).  This 
falcon  not  uncommon  in  winter. 

White  Gyrfalcon.  Falco  islandus  Brunn.  Only  one; 
Lincoln,  Me.  in  Brewster's  collection. 

Black  Gyrfalcon.  Falco  rusticolus  obsoletus  (Gmel.). 
Winter  visitant  ;  three  specimens. 


308    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

American  Peregrine  Falcon.  Falco  peregrinus  anatum 
(Bonap.).    Not  uncommon  ;  breeds  on  cliffs. 

Pigeon  Hawk.  Falco  columbarius  Linn.  Not  uncom- 
mon ;  breeds  on  cliffs. 

Sparrow  Hawk.  Falco  sparverius  Linn.  Not  uncom- 
mon; more  plenty. 

Fish  Hawk,  Osprey.  Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis 
(Gmel.).    Abundant. 

Marsh  Hawk.    Circus  hudsonius  (Linn.).    Abundant. 

Cooper's  Hawk.  Accipiter  cooperi  (Bonap.).  Not 
common  ;  one  of  our  rarest  hawks. 

Sharp-shinned  Hawk.  Accipiter  velox  (Wils.). 
Abundant. 

American  Goshawk.  Accipiter  atricapillus  (Wils.). 
Not  uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Red-tailed  Hawk.  Buteo  borealis  (Gmel.).  Not 
uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Swainsou's  Hawk.  Buteo  swainsoni  Bonap.  Oct., 
1892,  one  specimen. 

Red-shouldered  Hawk.  Buteo  lineatus  (Gmel.).  Not 
uncommon ;  breeds. 

Broad-winged  Hawk.  Buteo  platypterus  (Vieill.). 
Abundant. 

American  Roughleg.  Archibuteo  lagopus  saucti-johan- 
nis  (Gmel.).    Very  rare. 

Golden  Eagle.  Aquila  chrysaetos  (Linn.) .  Very  rare ; 
shot  one  in  summer. 

Bald  Eagle,  Gray  Eagle.  Haliaeetus  leucocephalus 
(Linn.).    Common;  breeds. 

Turkey  Buzzard.  Cathartes  aura  (Linn.).  Very  rare  ; 
only  one  specimen. 

Black  Vulture.  Catharista  urubu  (Vieill.).  Not 
uncommon  some  seasons. 


SCIKNTIFIC  LISTS  309 

Passenger  Pigeon.    Ectopistes  migratorius   {Linn.). 
Not  uncommon  ;  all  gone. 

Mourning  Dove.    Zenaidura  macroura  (Linn.).    Very 
rare  ;  accidental. 

Spruce     Partridge.     Canachites     canadensis    canace 
(Linn.).    Common. 

Canadian  Ruffed  Grouse.     Bonasa    umbellus    togata 
(Linn.).     Common. 

Great  Blue  Heron.    Ardea  herodias  Linn.    Common. 

American  Egret.     Ardea  egretta  Gmcl.    Very  rare ; 
Grand  Mauan. 

Snowy  Heron.    Ardea  candidissima  Gmcl.    Very  rare  ; 
Grand  Manan. 

Green  Heron.    Ardea  virescens  Linn.    Rare. 

Black-crowned  Night-Heron.    Nycticorax  nycticorax 
naevius  (Bodd.).     Rare. 

American  Bittern.     Botaurus  lentiginosus  (Montag .) . 
Very  common. 

Least  Bittern.    Ardetta  exilis  (Gmcl.).    Rare. 

American     Oyster-catcher.       Hsematopus     palliatus 
Tcmm.    Grand  Manan  ;   accidental. 

Turnstone.  Arenaria  morinella  (Linn.).  Fall;  not  rare. 

Black-bellied  Plover.    Squatarola  squatarola  (Linn.). 
Not  very  common. 

Golden  Plover.     Charadrius   dominicus    Mull.     Not 
very  common. 

Semipalmated  Plover.    yEgialitis  semipalmata  Bo?iap. 
Common  in  summer. 

Piping  Plover.    yEgialitis  meloda  (Ord.).    Rare;  said 
to  breed  on  the  islands. 

American     Woodcock.      Philohcla     minor    (Gmcl.). 
Plenty  ;    breeds  early. 


310    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Wilson's  Snipe.    Gallinago  delicata  (Ord.).    Plenty; 
some  breed. 

Redbreasted  Snipe.    Macrorhamphus  griseus  {Gmel.). 
Rare. 

Greater     Long-beak.      Macrorhamphus     scolopaceus 
{Say).    Rare;  St.  Andrews. 

Stilt  Sandpiper.     Micropalama  himantopus  {Bonap.). 
Rare. 

Knot ;  Robin  Snipe.    Tringa  canutus  Linn.    Rare;  in 
river. 

Purple  Sandpiper.     Tringa  maritima  Brtinn.    Abun- 
dant in  winter ;  islands. 

Pectoral  Sandpiper.     Tringa  maculata    Vieill.    Com- 
mon in  fall. 

Bonaparte's    Sandpiper.      Tringa    fuscicollis     Vieill. 
Rare. 

Least  Sandpiper.    Tringa  minutilla  Vieill.    Abundant 
in  summer. 

Red-backed     Sandpiper.      Tringa     alpina     pacifica 
{Coues).    Rare. 

Curlew  Sandpiper.    Tringa  ferruginea  Brtinn.    Acci- 
dental ;  St.  Andrews  and  Grand  Manan. 

Semipalmated  Sandpiper.  Ereunetes pusillus  {Linn.). 
Common. 

Sanderling.     Calidris  arenaria  {Linn.).    Common. 

HudsonianGodwit.  Limosa haemastica  {Linn.).  Rare. 

Greater  Yellow-legs.   Totanus  melanoleucus  {Gmel.). 
Common,  spring  and  fall. 

Lesser  Yellow-legs.    Totanus  flavipes  {Gmel.).    Com- 
mon, only  in  fall. 

Solitary   Sandpiper.    Helodromas  solitarius  {Wils.). 
Common. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  311 

Willet.    Symphenica  semipalmata  {Gmel.).    Rare. 

Ruff.  Pavoncella  puguax  {Linn.).  Grand  Manan ; 
accidental. 

Bartram's  Sandpiper.  Bartramia  longicauda  {Bechst. ) . 
Accidental. 

Spotted  Sandpiper.  Actitismacularia  {Linn.).  Abun- 
dant. 

Long-billed  Curlew.  Numenius  longirostris  Wils. 
Very  rare. 

Hudsonian  Curlew.  Numenius  hudsonicus  Lath. 
Very  rare. 

Eskimo  Curlew.  Numenius  borealis  {Forst.).  Very 
rare. 

Red  Phalarope.  Crymophilus  fulicarius  {Linn.). 
Not  uncommon  ;  few  breed. 

Northern  Phalarope.  Phalaropus  lobatus  {Linn.). 
Plenty  in  spring  and  fall ;  islands. 

American  Avoset.  Recurvirostra  americana  Gmcl. 
Accidental. 

Black-necked  Stilt.  Himantopusmexicanus  {Midi.). 
Accidental;  St.  Andrews. 

Virginia  Rail.     Rallus  virginianus  Linn.    Common. 

Sora  Rail.     Porzana  Carolina  {Linn.).     Abundant. 

Little  Yellow  Rail.  Porzana  noveboracensis  {Gmel.). 
Several ;  rare. 

Purple  Gallinule.  Ionornis  martinica  {Linn.).  Acci- 
dental ;  two. 

Florida  Gallinule.  Gallinula  galeata  {Licht.).  Sev- 
eral. 

American  Coot.  Fulica  americana  Gmel.  Not  uncom- 
mon. 


312      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Snow  Goose.  Chen  hyperborea  {Pall. ).  Rare;  Grand 
Manan. 

Eesser  Snow  Goose.  Chen  hyperborea  nivalis  {Forst. ) . 
Accidental ;  Grand  Manan. 

American  White-fronted  Goose.  Anser  albifrons 
gambeli  {Hartl.).    Grand  Manan. 

Canada  Goose.     Branta canadensis  {Linn.).   Common. 

Brant.     Branta  bernicla  {Linn.).     Common. 

Mallard.    Anas  boschas  Li?m.    Accidental;  very  rare. 

Black  Mallard.    Anas  obscura  Gmel,    Common. 

Gadwall.  Chaulelasmus  streperus  {Linn.).  Very 
rare ;  accidental. 

Pin  Tail.    Dafila  acuta  {Linn.).  Very  rare  ;  accidental. 

Baldpate ;  Widgeon.  Mareca  americana  {Gmel.). 
Very  rare ;  accidental. 

Shoveller.  Spatula  clypeata  {Linn.).  Ver)'  rare; 
accidental. 

Blue-winged  Teal.  Querquedula  discors  {Linn.). 
Common  ;  breeds. 

Green-winged  Teal.  Nettion  carolinensis  {Gmel.). 
Not  common. 

Wood  Duck.     Aix  sponsa  {Linn.).    Common. 

Scaup  Duck.     Aythya  marila  {Linn.).     Not  common. 

Eittle  Blackhead.  A)'thya  affinis  {Eyt.).  Not  com- 
mon. 

Ring-necked  Duck.  Aythya  collaris  {Donov.).  Not 
uncommon  ;  breeds. 

Red-head.    Aythya  americana  {Eyt.).    Rare;  breeds. 

Barrows'  Golden  Eye.  Clangula  islandica  {Gmel.). 
Common  in  winter. 

American  Golden  Eye  ;  Whistler.  Clangula  clangula 
americana  {Bonap.).    Common;  resident. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  313 

Buffle  Head ;  Butter  Ball.  Charitonetta  albcola 
(Linn.).     Common  spring  and  fall ;  breeds. 

Harlequin  Duck.  Histrionieus  histrionicus  (Linn.). 
Islands  ;  fall  and  winter. 

Longtail ;  Old  Squaw.  Harelda  hyemalis  (Linn.). 
Abundant. 

Labrador  Duck.  Camptolaimus  labradorius  (Gmel.). 
Grand  Manan  ;  very  rare,  none  of  late. 

American  Eider  Duck.  So  materia  dresseri  Sharpc. 
Dresser.     Abundant  in  winter. 

King  Eider.  Somateria  spectabilis  (Linn.) .  Not  rare 
in  winter. 

American  Scoter.  Oidemia  americana  Swai?is.  Com- 
mon. 

White-winged  Scoter.  Oidemia  deglandi  (Donap.). 
Common. 

Surf  Duck.    Oidemia  perspicillata  (Linn.).    Common. 

Ruddy  Duck.  Erismatura  jamaicensis  (Gmel.) .  Not 
rare  ;  breeds. 

American  Sheldrake.  Merganser  amerieanus  (Cass.). 
Not  rare  ;  breeds. 

Red-breasted  Sheldrake .  Merganser  serrator  (Linn . ) . 
Not  rare. 

Hooded  Sheldrake.  Lophodytes  cucullatus  (Lin?i.). 
Not  rare  ;  breeds. 

American  White  Pelican.  Pelecanus  erythrorhynchos 
Gmel.     Accidental ;   one  seen  in  Calais. 

Common  Cormorant.  Phalacrocorax  carbo  (Linn.). 
Not  abundant. 

Double-crested  Cormorant.  Phalacrocorax  dilophus 
(Swain.).    Common  in  migrations. 

Gannet.   Sula  bassana (Lin n. ) .  Common  down  the  bay. 


314      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Black  Skimmer.    Rhynchops  nigra  Linn.    Accidental ; 
down  the  bay. 

Ivory  Gull.    Pagophila   alba  {Gunn.).     Accidental; 
Grand  Manan. 

Bonaparte's  Gull.     Larus  Philadelphia  (Ord).     Very 
abundant ;  none  breed. 

Sabine's  Gull.  Xema  sabinii  (Sab.).    Eastport ;  acci- 
dental in  bay. 

Gull-billed  Tern.     Sterna  nilotica  (Hasselq.).    Acci- 
dental in  bay. 

Caspian  Tern.    Sterna  caspia  Pallas.    Seen  in  migra- 
tions; rare. 

Common  Tern.     Sterna  hirundo  Linn.    Abundant. 

Arctic  Tern.     Sterna  paradissea  j5rzif«w.    Abundant. 

Least  Tern.     Sterna  antillarum  (Less.).    Accidental; 
Grand  Manan. 

Kittiwake  Gull.    Rissa  tridactyla  (Linn.).    Abundant 
fall  and  winter. 

Glaucous    Gull.     Larus   glaucus    (Briinn.).     Rare; 
only  found  in  winter. 

White- winged  Gull.    Larus  leucopterus  Fader.  Rare  ; 
only  found  in  winter. 

Great  Black-backed  Gull.    Larus  marinus  Limi.  Win- 
ter bird ;  few  breed. 

Herring  Gull.     Larus  argentatus  Briinn.     Common; 
resident. 

Ring-billed  Gull.    Larus  delawarensis  Ord.    Common 
in  migration. 

Laughing  Gull.     Larus  atricilla   Linn.     Few  about 
islands  in  summer. 

Black     Tern.     Hydrochelidon     nigra     surinamensis 
(Gmel.).    Accidental;  Grand  Manan. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  315 

Pomarine  Jaeger.  Stercorarius  pomarinus  (Temm.). 
Not  plenty. 

Richardson's  Jaeger.  Stercorarius  parisiticus  (Linn.). 
Rare. 

Long-tailed  Jaeger.  Stercorarius  longicaudus  Vicill. 
Common  ;  fall. 

Greater  Shearwater.  Puffinus  gravis  (O'Reilly) .  Com- 
mon. 

Sooty  Shearwater.    Puffinus  fuliginosus  Strickl.   Rare. 

Stormy  Petrel,  Mother  Carey's  Chicken.  Procellaria 
pelagica  Linn.    Accidental ;  only  Grand  Manan. 

Wilson's  Petrel.  Oceanites  oceanicus  (Kuhl).  Rare; 
only  in  summer. 

Leach's  Petrel.  Oceanodroma  leucorhoa  (Vieill.). 
Common  ;  breeds  on  islands. 

Red-necked  Grebe.  Colymbus  holbcellii  (Rcinh.). 
Common  ;  breeds  on  islands. 

Horned  Grebe.  Colymbus  auritus  Linn.  Common; 
few  breed. 

Thick-billed  Grebe.  Podilymbus  podiceps  (Linn.). 
Common  ;  breeds. 

Loon.     Gavia  imber  (Gunn.).     Common;  breeds. 

Red-throated  Loon.  Gavia  lumme  (Gnnn.).  Com- 
mon. 

Razor-billed  Auk.  Alca  torda  Linn.  Winter;  few 
breed  on  Grand  Manan. 

Common  Puffin.  Fratercula  arctica  (Limi.).  Winter; 
few  breed  on  Grand  Manan. 

Sea  Dove.    Alle  alle  (Linn.).    Winter  only. 

Black  Guillemot.  Cepphus  grylle  (Linn.).  Resident; 
breeds  on  islands. 


31G     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Foolish  Guillemot.  Uria  troile  {Linn.).  Resident; 
few  breed. 

Briinnich's  Guillemot.  Uria  lomvia  (Linn.).  Resi- 
dent ;  few  breed. 

Fulmar  Petrel.  Fulmarus  glacialis  (Linn.).  Winter 
sea  bird  ;  Grand  Manan. 

European  Starling.  Sturnus  vulgaris  Linn.  Shot  in 
Calais  by  Mr.  Nichols. 

Fishes 

Yellow  Perch.    Perca  flavescens  (Mitch.). 

White  Perch.    Morone  americana  (Gmel.). 

Striped  Bass.    Roccus  lineatus  (Block.). 

Pumpkin  Seed.     Eupomotis  gibbosus  (Linn.). 

White  L,ake  Bass.    Roccus  chrysops    (Raf.). 

Saucer-eye  Porgy.    Calamus  calamus  (Cuv.). 

Weakfish.    Cy noscion  regalis  (Block . ) . 

Common  Mackerel.    Scomber  scombrus  (Linn.). 

Tunny,  or  Horse  Mackerel.  Thunnusthynnus  (Linti.). 

Spanish  Mackerel.  Scomberomorus  maculatus 
(Mitch.). 

Swordfish.    Xiphias  gladius  (Linn.). 

Blunt-nose  Shiner.    Vomer  setipinnis  (Mitch.). 

Blueflsh.     Pomatomus  saltatrix  (Linn.). 

Bill-fish.     Tylosurus  marinus  (Walb.). 

European  Stickleback.  Gasterosteus  aculeatus(Z.m«. ) . 

Many-spined  Stickleback.  Pygosteus  Pungitius 
brachypoda  (Bean). 

Silverside.  Chirostoma  bartoni  (Jordan  and  Ever- 
man?i). 

Redfish.    Sebastes  marinus  (Linn.). 

Sea  Raven.    Hemitripterus  americanus  (Gmel.). 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  317 

Sculpin,  Greenland  Bullhead.  Cottus  gioeiilaudicus 
( Girard) . 

Common  Sculpin,  or  Bullhead.  Cottus  octodecim 
spin os us  {Gill). 

Labrador  Northern  Sculpin.  Cottus  labradoricus 
{Girard). 

Sea  Poacher.  Aspidophoroidesmonopterygius(Z>Y<*:/j.). 

Toad-fish.     Batrachus  Tau  {Li?in.). 

Shanny.     Blenuius  laevis. 

Butter-fish.     Pholis  dolichogaster  {Pallas). 

Eel  Pout.     Zoarces  auguillaris  {Peck). 

Lump-fish.     Cyclopterus  lumpus  {Linn.). 

Wolf-fish.     Anarhichas  lupus  {Linn.). 

Wrymouth.     Cryptacanthodes  maculatus  {Storcr). 

Angler.     Lophius  piscatorius  {Linn.). 

Bank  Cod  (doubtful).     Gadus  callarias  {Linn.). 

Codfish.     Gadus  americanus  {Gill). 

Tomcod.     Microgadus  tomcod  {Walb.). 

Haddock.     Melanogrammus  aeglefinus  {Linn.). 

Pollock.     Pollachius  virens  {Linn.). 

Silver  Hake.     Merluccius  bilinearis  {Mitch.). 

Burbot.     Lota  maculosa  {Le  Sueur). 

Cusk.     Brosmius  brosme. 

De  Kay's  Codling.     Phycis  de  Kaii  {Kaup.). 

Ophiodou.     Ophiodou  elongatus  {Girard). 

Blackfish.     Tautoga  onitis  {Linn.). 

Cunner.     Ctenolabrus  adspersus. 

Halibut.     Hippoglossus  hippoglossus  {Linn.). 

Common  Flatfish,  Flounder.  Pseudopleuronectes 
americanus  (  Walb.). 

Spotted  Flounder,  Turbot,  Window  Pane.  Para- 
lichthys  oblongus  {Mitch.). 


318    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Shiner.     Notemigonus  chrysoleucus. 
Redfin.     Notropis  cornutus  {Mitch.). 
Dace.     Rhinichthys  cataractse   {Cuv.  &  Valen.). 
Roach  Dace.     Leuciscus  rutilus   {Raf.) . 
Creek  Chub.     Semotilus  atromaculatus  {Mitch.). 
Red-sided  Shiner.    Leuciscus  elongatus  {Kirt.). 
Brook  Minnow.     Fundulus  heteroclitus   {Linn.). 
Common  Sucker.    Catostomus  commersouii  {Lacep.). 
White  Sucker.    Moxostoma  aureolum   {Le  Sueur.). 
Chub-sucker.    Erimyzon  sucetta. 
Minnow  Killifish.    Fundulus  magalis  {Walb.). 
Common  Pickerel.    Esox  reticulatus  {Le  Sueur.). 
Salmon.    Salmo  salar  {Li?in.). 
Brook  Trout.    Salvelinus  foutenaiis  {Mitch.). 
Sea  Trout.     Salmo  canadensis  {Smith). 
Landlocked  Salmon.     Salmo  salar  sebago   {Girard) . 
Silver  Salmon.     Oncorhynchus  kisutch  (  Walb.). 
Togue.     Cristivomer  namaycush  {Walb.). 
Blue-black  Trout.     Oncorhynchus  nerka  {Walb.). 
White  or  Gizzard   Fish.     Coregonus   quadrilateralis 
{Rich.). 
Common  Whitefish.  Coregonus clupeiformis  {Mitch.). 
Smelt,  Fresh  Water.     Osmerus  mordax  {Mitch.). 
Sea  Smelt.     Hypomesus  pretiosus  {Girard). 
Capelin.     Mallotus  villosus  {Muller) . 
Herring.     Clupea  harengus  {Linn.). 
Thin-head.    Leptocephalus  gracilis  {Storer). 
Catfish.    Amiurus  melas. 
Sturgeon.     Acipenser  sturis  {Linn.). 
Porbeagle.  Lamua  cornubica  {Gmel.). 
Dogfish.     Squalus  canthias  {Linn.). 
Basking  Shark.    Cetorhmus  maximus  {Gunner). 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  319 

Thresher  Shark.     Alopias  vulpes  {Gmel.). 

Sleeper.     Somniosus  microcephalus. 

Skate.     Raia  laevis  {Mitch.). 

Hedgehog  Ray.    Raia  erinace  {Mitch.). 

Lamprey.     Petromyzon  marinus. 

Common  Shad.  Alosa  alabamae  {Jordan  &  Ever- 
manri). 

Alevvife  or  Gaspereau.  Pomolobus  pseudoharengus 
(  Wilson) . 

Menhaden,  Mossbanker.  Brevoortia  tyranuus  {La- 
trobe) . 

Brit.     Clupea  minima  {Peck). 

Autumnal  Herring.     Alosa  mattonaca  {De  Kay) . 

Anchovy.     Stolephorus  encrasicholus. 

Balistes.     Balistes  capriscus. 

Sharp-nosed  Eel.     Anguilla  vulgaris. 

Eel.     Anguilla  Bostoniensis  {Le  Sueur). 

Conger  Eel.     Leptocephalus  conger  {Linn.). 

Sand  Launce.     Ammodytes  americauus  {De  Kay) . 

Mammals 

Shrew.     Neosorex  palustris  (  Verrill) . 

Foster's  Shrew.     Sorex  Fosteri  {Rich).     Very  rare. 

Oared  Shrew.  Sorex  platyrhincus  (  Wagner) .  Quite 
common. 

Cooper's  Shrew.     Sorex  Cooped  {Bach.). 

Common  Shrew.     Sorex  personatus  {Geoffray). 

Mole  Shrew,  short-tailed.     Blarina  brevicauda  {Say). 

Common  Mole.     Scalops  aquaticus  {Linn.). 

Star- nosed  mole.  Coudylura  cristata  {Linn.).  Com- 
mon. 

Wildcat.    Lynx  ruff  us  ( Guld. ) .    Common. 


320     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Loup-cervier.     Lynx  canadensis  (Kerr).    Common. 

Gray  Wolf.     Canis  occidentalis  (Rich.).    Common. 

Red  Fox.     Vulpes  fulvus  (Desmarest) . 

Fisher  Marten.     Mttstela  pennanti  (Erxleben) . 

Pine  Marten  or  American  Sable.  Mustela  americana 
(  Turton ) . 

Least  Weasel.     Putorius  rixosus  (Bangs) . 

Maine  Weasel.  Putorius  noveboracensis  occisor 
(Bangs). 

Northern  Mink.     Putorius  vison  (Schreber) . 

Northern  Otter.     Lutra  canadensis  (Schreber). 

Skunk.     Mephitis  putida  (Cuvier). 

Raccoon.     Procyon  lotor  (Linn.). 

Black  Bear.     Ursus  Americanus  (Pallas.). 

Common  Seal.     Phoca  vitulina  (Linn.). 

Plarp  Seal.  Phoca  grcenlandica  (Fabricicus) .  Seen 
in  winter. 

Hooded  Seal.  Cystophora  cristata  (Erxleben).  Often 
seen  on  the  rocks,  Grand  Manan  and  Murr  ledges. 

Gray  Squirrel.     Sciurus  carolinensis  (Gmel.). 

Red  Squirrel.    Sciurus  hudsonicus  gymnicus  ( Bangs) . 

Fox  Squirrel.     Sciurus  rufiventer  neglectus   (Gray). 

Flying  Squirrel.     Sciuropterus  volans  (Linn.). 

Striped  Squirrel.     Tamias  strktus  (Linn.). 

Woodchuck.     Arctomys  monax  (Linn.). 

Beaver.     Castor  canadensis  (Kuhl) . 

Brown  Rat.     Mus  norvegicus  (Erxleben) . 

Black  Rat.     Mus  rattus  (Linn.). 

Common  Mouse,  Mus  musculus  (Linn.). 

Deer  Mouse,  Wood  Mouse,  White-footed  Mouse. 
Peromyscus  Cucopus  (Raf.). 

Common  Hamster.     Cricetus  frumentarius. 


SCIENTIFIC  LISTS  321 

Red-backed  Mouse.     Hypudseus  gapperi  (Baird). 

Meadow  Mouse.    Microtus  pennsylvanicus  (Ord.). 

Northern  Lemming  Mouse.  Synaptomys  fatuus 
{Bangs).  The  northern  representative  of  Cooper's 
lemming  mouse. 

Muskrat.    Fiber  zibethicus  (Linn.). 

Porcupine.    Erethizon  dorsatus  (Linn.). 

White-rabbit.  Lepus  americanus  viginiauus(7/ii/7a»). 

Moose.     Alces  americanus  (Jardine). 

Woodland  Caribou.    Rangifer  caribou  (Gtncl.). 

Deer.  ** 

Hoary  Bat.     Lasiurus  cinereus  (Beauvois). 

Little  Brown  Bat.    Myotis  lucifugus    (Le  Conte). 

Blunt-nosed  Bat.    Vespertilio  subulatus. 

Panther.     Felis  couguar  ( Kerr) .    Well  authenticated. 

Wolverine.    Gulo  luscus    (Linne).    Doubtful. 

Testudinata  or  Turtles 

Snapping  Turtle.    Chelydra  serpentina.    Common. 
Painted  Turtle.    Chrysemys  picta  (Gray).    Rare. 
Sculptured  Turtle.     Glyptemys  insculpta  (Agassiz). 
Rare. 

Ophidia  —  Snakes 

Green  Snake.  Chlorosoma  vermalis  (Baird  and 
Girard) .    Plenty. 

Little  Brown  Snake.    Haldea  striatula. 

Ring- necked  Snake.  Diadophis  punctatus  (Baird  and 
Girard). 

Milk  Snake.    Ophibolus  eximius.     (Cope). 

Striped  Snake.    Eutsenia  sirtalis. 


322    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Ribbon  Snake.    Eutaenia  saurita. 
Water  Snake.    Nerodia  sipedon. 

Batrachia,  Anura — Toads  and  Frogs 

Common  Toad.    Bufo  lentiginosus. 
Common  Bull  Frog.    Rana  catesbiana  {Shaw). 
Green  Frog.    Rana  clauntaus  {Lee). 
Pickerel  Frog.    Rana  Plustus  {Lee). 
Leopard  Frog.     Rana  halecina  {Kalm). 
Wood  Frog.    Rana  sylvatica  {Lee). 
Tree  Toad.     Hyla  versicolor  {Lee). 

Urodella  —  Lizards 

Yellow  Spotted  Salamander.  Salamandridse  maculoso 
{Baird). 

Symmetrical  Salamander.  Diemictylus  miniatus 
{Raf.). 

Water-Heat.    Diemyctulus  viridesceus  {Raf.). 

Red-backed  Salamander.  Plethodon  erythronotus 
{Baird). 

Painted  Salamander.    Desmognathus  fusca  {Baird). 


CHAPTER  XII 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES 


FROM  among  the  many  art'icles  recording  his  obser- 
vations upon  natural  history  subjects  that  were 
contributed  by  Mr.  Boardman  to  the  special  journals  and 
magazines  devoted  to  ornithology  and  natural  history  as 
well  as  to  the  local  newspapers,  a  few  have  been  chosen 
as  representing  the  minuteness  of  his  descriptions  and 
his  graphic  and  interesting  style.  These  published 
sketches  extend  to  many  scores,  all  of  which  are  equally 
entertaining  while  but  few  can  be  used  in  this  volume. 
The  minor  notes  originally  contributed  to  The  American 
Naturalist  and  to  Forest  and  Stream  are  reproduced 
with  their  dates  of  publication  as  forming  a  record  of  the 
time  when  such  were  made  public. 

Winter  Life  in  Florida 

The  first  consideration  to  the  winter  visitor  to  Florida 
is  the  climate,  which  is  delightful.  I  do  not  think  so 
agreeable  a  place  can  be  found  in  the  United  States.  I 
am  not  so  good  a  judge  of  the  winter  climate  of  Cali- 
fornia, having  spent  but  one  winter  there,  and  think  the 


324    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

climate  of  Florida  much  more  dry,  five  days  out  of  six 
bright  and  cloudless ;  three,  four  and  five  weeks  at  a 
time,  clear  and  bright,  and  of  most  agreeable  tempera- 
ture, and  even  as  far  north  as  Palatka  there  are  gener- 
ally but  two  or  three  nights  in  the  whole  winter  that  ice 
is  formed.  Rain  rarely  falls,  and  this  is  the  great  charm 
of  winter  climate  and  enables  the  sportsman  to  be  com- 
fortable in  his  tent,  when  in  Georgia,  Texas  or  Cali- 
fornia, he  would  wish  himself  in  the  hotel.  The  whole 
coast,  east  and  west,  swarms  with  fish  and  of  a  very 
fine  quality ;  pompano,  sheepshead,  grouper,  red-fish, 
king-fish,  Spanish  mackerel,  mullet,  turtle,  and  such 
oysters  —  for  flavor  and  size  they  beat  anything  to  be 
found  North.  The  St.  Johns  river  is  also  full  of  fish. 
Shad  are  plenty  all  winter  and  in  the  upper  parts  of  the 
river  black  bass  were  so  plenty  as  to  often  jump  into  our 
boats,  and  eight  to  ten  pounders  are  very  common. 
Game,  except  quail,  is  getting  scarce  about  the  larger 
places  ;  but  you  have  only  to  go  into  the  country  to  find 
abundance  of  deer  and  turkey. 

When  I  commenced,  I  intended  from  my  experience 
to  tell  of  a  more  pleasant  way  to  spend  winters  in  Florida 
than  Mr.  Beverly's  (provided  you  have  money  enough), 
and  without  costing  near  as  much  as  to  live  at  the  hotels, 
have  a  better  table  and  lots  of  fine  sport  and  withal,  the 
most  comfortable  and  pleasant  way  a  company  of  gentle- 
men can  spend  winters  in  Florida.  Let  a  half  dozen 
good  fellows  get  up  a  light-draft  stern-wheel  steamer,  to 
draw  about  twenty  inches  of  water —  just  such  a  boat  as 
the  little  Clifton,  so  well  known  on  the  St.  Johns  river 
for  several  years.  The  writer  was  on  board  of  her  for 
two  winters.    She  cost  about  $4,000,  built  and  fitted  up 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         325 

at  Philadelphia,  was  used  four  or  five  winters  as  a  pleas- 
ure-boat and  then  sold  for  a  ferry-boat  without  much 
loss.  Three  men  made  up  the  crew.  The  whole  expense 
was  about  $15  each  day,  which,  divided  among  six,  was 
not  high  for  such  fishing  and  hunting  as  we  used  to  get ; 
and  such  bird  suppers  as  Reuben  could  get  up  I  never 
expect  to  see  again.  This  boat  was  built  by  a  party  of 
gentlemen  from  Clifton  Springs,  New  York,  and  run 
down  from  Philadelphia.  One  could  be  got  up  much 
cheaper  now,  in  Jacksonville.  Such  a  boat  can  go  to  the 
upper  waters  of  the  St.  Johns,  above  where  hunters  go, 
and  where  game  is  plenty.  The  St.  Johns  is  a  wonder- 
ful river,  and  one  of  great  magnitude,  and  it  has  always 
been  a  wonder  to  me  where  so  much  fresh  water  comes 
from.  It  runs  from  south  to  north,  is  over  300  miles 
long  and  in  many  places  is  very  near  the  coast.  It 
appears  more  like  a  beautiful  chain  of  lakes  for  more 
than  a  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  will  average 
nearly  two  miles  wide,  for  that  distance.  The  tide  is 
felt  as  far  up  as  Palatka  and,  what  appears  singular, 
when  it  is  high  water  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  it  is 
low  tide  at  Jacksonville.  Visitors  should  always  go  up 
as  far  as  Enterprise,  to  see  the  beautiful  lakes  and  won- 
derful springs.  We  could  not  get  the  Clifton  much  above 
Lake  Winder.  A  floating  island  covered  with  willows 
had  drifted  across  the  channel  and  we  could  only  get 
up  in  small  boats  to  Lake  Washington.  We  found  Lake 
Winder  a  fine  place  for  game ;  deer  and  turkeys  were 
very  abundant  and  more  snipe  than  we  had  seen  in 
Florida.  We  also  found  many  birds  which  we  did  not 
see  about  Lakes  Harney  and  Jessup.  The  carrocca  eagle, 
in  full,   light  plumage,  was  common  ;    also  the  purple 


326    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

gallinule,  coast  bittern,  yellow-crowned  night  heron ; 
and  we  found  many  extensive  breeding  places.  This  is 
the  home  of  the  alligators,  and  they  used  to  trouble  us 
by  getting  our  birds  as  they  fell  into  the  water  before 
we  could  get  to  them.  Sport  can  be  had  with  alligators 
by  baiting  a  shark  hook  with  a  coot,  or  some  other  bird. 
Fasten  the  end  of  the  rope  to  the  top  of  a  small  tree  that 
bends  well  and  in  the  morning  you  are  almost  sure  to 
find  one  hooked.  If  a  large  one,  you  can  only  pull  him 
into  the  bank  ;  if  a  small  one,  keep  away  from  his  tail, 
or  teeth,  and  to  get  your  hook,  after  you  are  done  play- 
ing with  him,  you  must  shoot  him.  In  their  stomachs 
you  will  most  always  find  a  roll  of  feathers,  fish  and 
often  large  moccasin  snakes,  and  they  sometimes  eat  one 
another.  I  have  seen  one  eight  feet  long  in  a  large 
one's  mouth.  Favorite  birds  for  our  party  to  shoot  were 
the  white-plumed  cranes,  egrets,  snowy  herons,  for  their 
plumes ;  and  we  could  make  quite  good  collections  of 
Florida  bird  skins.  The  steamer  had  two  small  boats, 
so  we  could  go  up  the  small  creeks  ;  and  we  explored 
most  every  lake  and  stream  on  the  river.  Although  we 
were  so  far  south,  we  had  no  trouble  with  insects.  All 
the  windows  had  wire  gauze  and  we  were  careful  to 
keep  the  doors  shut.  Our  sleeping  accommodations  and 
our  dining  room  were  very  good.  The  boat  would  run 
about  ten  miles  an  hour  and  we  would  change  our  loca- 
tion very  easily.  We  found  moccasin  snakes  very  abun- 
dant in  the  upper  country,  but  had  no  trouble  with 
them.  We  saw  very  few  rattlesnakes.  One  of  our 
party,  Mr.  Rice,  at  Lake  Jessup,  shot  a  white  heron  that 
fell  into  the  water  near  the  shore.  He  saw  a  large  alli- 
gator start  for  the  bird  and  Rice  thought  he  could  get 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         327 

the  bird  before  the  alligator,  which  he  did,  and  threw 
the  bird  over  his  shoulder,  the  alligator  following ;  and 
as  he  reached  the  bank  the  alligator  struck  his  legs,  but 
did  him  no  damage.  I  have  made  this  paper  too  long, 
and  can  recommend  for  real  comfort  such  a  cruise. 
Such  a  steamer,  after  going  up  the  St.  Johns  river  could 
be  taken  around  to  St.  Augustine,  and  so  down  to  Indian 
river,  and  the  expense  less  than  to  live  at  the  hotels. 

The  Woodcock's  Whistle 

I  have  been  much  interested  in  all  your  woodcock  bird 
whistle  papers,  and  as  my  experience  has  extended  over 
more  than  half  a  century  of  woodcock  shooting  (and 
many  seasons'  shooting  I  have  bagged  from  100  to  150 
birds)  and  the  bird  always  interesting  me,  I  have  spent 
many  pleasant  hours  in  studying  its  habits  in  spring  as 
well  as  in  fall  and  summer  shooting.  I  want  you  to  put 
down  my  vote  to  the  wing  theory. 

I  know  the  bird  has  a  little  mouth  talk,  or  note,  which 
I  have  often  heard  when  the  birds  were  mating  and 
strutting  on  the  ground  in  the  spring,  and  the  same  note 
I  have  heard  often  from  the  old  bird  when  I  have  been 
catching  the  young  chicks ;  but  the  sound  or  note  is  not 
the  same  as  the  whistle  of  the  continuous-flying,  full- 
plumaged  bird,  and  I  have  so  often  had  the  slightly 
wounded  bird  in  my  hand,  and  held  by  the  bill  or  feet, 
make,  as  I  am  sure,  the  same  whistling  with  his  wings, 
that  I  cannot  be  mistaken ;  and  the  bird  when  not  in 
plumage,  held  the  same  way,  does  not  make  the  whistle. 
I  know  we  do  not  all  hear,  see  or  think  alike ;  but  any 
person  who  will  take  a  full-plumaged  woodcock  that  is 
lively,  hold  it  by  the  bill  or  feet  and  let  it  have  full  use  of 


328     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

its  wings,  cannot  but  be  convinced  the  whistle  is  made 
with  the  wings. 

Audubon  should  be  pretty  good  authority,  and  he 
records  the  noise  as  made  by  the  wings  ;  and  among  all 
my  bird  acquaintance  I  do  not  remember  one  bird  that 
has  a  continuous  mouth  note  when  flying,  but  very  many 
have  a  wing  whistle  when  flying,  such  as  the  golden-eye 
duck,  whistling  swan  and  many  others,  that  can  be  heard 
a  long  distance.  The  drumming  ruffed  grouse,  noise  of 
the  wings  of  the  flushed  quail  and  many  others  talk  with 
their  wings  as  well  as  their  mouths. 

Snakes  in  Florida 

I  do  not  think  your  correspondent  ' '  Anti  Snake' '  need 
to  be  so  much  afraid  of  rattlesnakes  in  Florida.  I  have 
done  considerable  camping,  tramping  and  hunting  in  the 
seventeen  winters  I  have  spent  in  Florida,  but  I  have 
never  lost  a  dog  nor  seen  a  live  rattlesnake  in  the  woods 
or  swamps  of  this  State.  I  walk  through  the  swamps, 
scrub  palmetto  or  grass  without  ever  thinking  of  snakes ; 
and  in  the  seventeen  years  have  only  known  of  two  per- 
sons to  have  been  bitten  by  rattlers ;  one  a  Mr.  Babcock, 
at  Pine  Island,  Charlotte  Harbor,  and  the  young  English- 
man killed  this  winter  at  Halifax  River.  He  saw  the 
snake  and  struck  at  it  with  a  stick,  when  it  struck  back 
and  hit  him.    It  doesn't  do  to  play  with  them. 

What  is  called  the  moccasin  snake  or  cotton-mouth 
here,  is  very  abundant  in  the  water  and  swamps  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State,  but  not  much  feared  or  con- 
sidered very  dangerous  like  the  rattlers. 

I  was  once  shooting  from  a  boat  in  south  Florida  when 
the  bushes  pulled  out  one  of  our  rowlocks  (quite  a  loss 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         329 

when  we  could  get  no  other).  I  proposed  to  our  colored 
man  ' '  Bill' '  that  he  take  off  his  shoes  and  pantaloons  and 
feel  for  it  with  his  toes,  in  the  water  about  three  feet  deep. 
He  dropped  out  of  the  boat  and  stepped  upon  a  big  moc- 
casin snake.  He  gave  an  awful  yell,  and  as  he  came  out 
had  an  enormous  snake  twined  about  his  naked  legs.  As 
soon  as  he  was  out  of  the  water  it  unwound  and  went 
away.  Bill  was  sure  he  was  bitten,  and  I  thought  he 
looked  very  pale  for  a  black  man,  but  I  could  find  no  bite 
or  damage.  It  was  several  days  before  he  got  over  the 
shock,  and  the  rowlock  was  never  found.  The  moccasin 
snake  keeps  in  or  near  the  water  all  the  time,  and  the 
fires  that  run  all  over  the  country  do  not  kill  them,  but 
the  rattlesnake  keeps  most  always  upon  the  dry  land,  and 
most  of  them  are  burned  up  in  the  long  grass  and  scrub 
palmetto. 

I  only  know  of  three  poisonous  snakes  in  Florida  or 
United  States :  The  rattlesnake,  moccasin  and  coral 
snake.  The  last  is  a  small,  very  pretty  snake,  and  not 
dangerous  unless  you  handle  it.  The  rattlesnake  of  the 
Southern  States  is  a  very  large  and  dangerous  reptile,  but, 
as  I  have  said  before,  a  very  rare  snake  and  seldom  seen. 

Tree  Nesting  Ducks 

I  have  been  interested  in  reading  what  Mr.  Mather  and 
others  say  about  tree  ducks,  and  thought  perhaps  the 
experience  of  an  old  bird  and  egg  collector  might  inter- 
est the  readers  of  your  natural  history  column.  Fifty 
years  ago  we  used  to  have  six  different  tree  ducks  breed- 
ing on  our  river :  Barrows,  golden  eye  and  the  buffle 
head  (albeola)  rare,  but  the  common  golden  eye,  the 
American  merganser,  hooded  merganser  and  wood  duck 


330      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

abundant.  About  fifty  years  ago  pickerel  were  put  into 
our  waters,  which  soon  put  an  end  to  most  of  our  wild 
ducks  breeding,  as  the  pickerel  eat  up  all  the  chick  ducks 
except  in  the  few  lakes  or  ponds  that  were  free  from 
pickerel.  Near  to  Calais  are  several  ponds  and  lakes 
that  are  free  from  those  fish,  and  the  tree  ducks  bring 
their  young  to  those  lakes  for  safety. 

I  was  at  the  Kendrick  Lake,  and  a  lad  that  lived  near 
by  was  with  me.  A  duck  (whistler)  came  flying  low 
toward  us,  when  the  lad  threw  up  his  hat  with  a  shout, 
when  the  old  duck  dropped  a  young  one  that  fell  near 
us  that  was  at  least  ten  days  old.  The  old  one  went 
for  it  so  quickly  I  almost  lost  it,  but  I  got  it  and  put 
it  in  my  pocket  for  a  specimen.  We  were  near  the 
lake  and  the  old  duck  also,  when  we  saw  she  had  four 
others  in  the  water.  The  boy  said  if  we  keep  quiet 
she  will  go  away  and  bring  others,  or  if  she  is  afraid 
of  us  very  much  she  will  take  those  across  the  lake  or 
to  the  other  lake.  They  were  getting  near  to  some 
water  grass,  when  the  old  duck  made  a  flutter,  caught 
one  and  went  across  the  lake  ;  it  was  hardly  two  minutes 
before  she  returned  and  took  another. 

I  don't  think  she  took  them  by  her  mouth,  and  the 
one  she  dropped,  if  it  had  been  in  her  mouth  we  should 
have  seen  it.  Mr.  Eastman,  father  of  the  lad,  said  they 
often  took  their  young  from  one  lake  or  river  to  another 
if  they  thought  them  in  danger,  and  said  he  had  seen 
them  bring  the  young  from  the  nest  to  the  water  and 
then  in  their  bills,  or  to  go  any  distance,  or  if  they  are 
any  size  carry  them  pressed  to  the  body  by  the  feet, 
and  the  boys  often  by  a  shout  made  them  drop  their 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         331 

young.  They  brought  me  several  different  kinds  after- 
ward, wood  duck,  whistlers  and  hooded  mergansers,  but 
no  young  of  the  large  merganser. 

Many  years  ago  I  was  up  to  Grand  L,ake  Stream 
salmon  fishing,  when  I  saw  a  large  duck  fly  into  a  hole 
high  up  in  a  large  birch  tree.  The  log  drivers  said  it 
was  a  sheldrake  and  had  nested  there  many  years.  I 
was  anxious  to  see  what  kind  of  a  merganser  it  was. 
After  the  log  drivers'  day's  work  was  done  one  of  them 
by  driving  spikes  managed  to  get  up.  The  old  bird  flew 
out,  and  he  brought  down  one  egg  and  said  there  were 
seven  more.  I  then  got  the  man  to  arrange  a  noose 
over  the  hole  and  the  next  morning  we  had  the  old  bird 
hung  by  the  neck  and  the  eight  eggs  were  new  to 
science.  The  log  drivers  said  they  had  seen  the  old  bird 
bring  down  the  young  in  her  bill  to  the  water.  Several 
years  later  Mr.  John  Krider  of  Philadelphia  went  with 
me  to  the  same  tree  and  collected  the  eggs.  He  was  a 
well-known  collector.  Mr.  Audubon  was  mistaken  in 
his  account  of  the  nesting  of  this  merganser  since  he 
describes  it  as  nesting  on  the  ground  among  rushes,  in 
the  manner  of  the  serrator,  having  a  large  nest  raised 
seven  or  eight  inches  above  the  surface. 

On  one  of  my  collecting  trips  my  attention  was  called 
by  the  log  drivers  to  a  singular  contest  between  two 
ducks  ;  it  proved  to  be  a  female  wood  duck  and  a  female 
hooded  merganser,  for  the  possession  of  a  hollow  tree. 
Two  birds  had  been  observed  for  several  days  contesting 
for  the  nest,  neither  permitting  the  other  to  remain  in 
peaceful  occupancy.  The  nest  was  found  to  contain 
eighteen  fresh  eggs,  of  which  one-third  belonged  to  the 
merganser  and,  as  the  nest  was  lined  with  the  down  of 


332   THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

the  merganser  it  appeared  probable  this  bird  was  the 
rightful  owner  of  the  premises.  I  once  found  a  dusky 
duck's  nest  in  a  cavity  of  a  leaning  birch  tree  about 
thirty  feet  high. 

The   Winninish  of  the  Saguenay 

I  have  compared  the  winninish  of  the  Saguenay  with 
the  landlocked  salmon  of  Maine  (salmo  gloveri)  and  think 
them  the  same.  Some  years  ago  some  of  the  Saguenay 
fish  were  sent  to  Cambridge.  Prof.  Agassiz,  Mr.  Putman 
and  myself  compared  them  and  Agassiz  thought  them  the 
same.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  salmo  gloveri  is  quite 
common  in  most  of  the  rivers  about  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
as  well  as  along  the  state  of  Maine,  and  when  taken 
have  been  called  the  young  of  the  sea  salmon. 

Unless  you  have  both  to  compare,  it  is  not  easy  to  tell 
the  difference.  They  have  been  examined  as  to  all  their 
measurements  so  scientifically,  their  markings,  etc., 
which  I  have  no  doubt  you  have  seen,  that  it  is  not  hard 
to  tell  the  S.  gloveri  from  the  true  salmon.  The  number 
of  vertebrae  differ — fifty-nine  in  the  salmon  to  fifty-seven 
in  S.  gloveri,  a  double  row  of  small  teeth  in  the  vomer 
of  the  young  salmon,  a  single  row  in  the  smolt  of  the 
gloveri. 

Some  of  our  English  fishermen  thought  our  fish  the 
same  as  the  European  S.  Trutta  aS.  cambricas.  Some 
specimens  were  sent  to  Dr.  Gunther,  F.  R.  S.,  of  Eng- 
land, who  pronounced  them  different  and  nothing  to  do 
with  the  sea  salmon.  I  do  not  understand  how  they  ever 
got  the  name  land-locked  salmon,  as  they  always  had 
access  to  the  sea,  and  in  my  boy  days  S.  gloveri  was 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         333 

common  to  the  tide  waters  and  more  often  taken  as  far 
down  as  there  were  fish  weirs. 

They  have  been  identified  in  several  of  our  Maine 
rivers,  also  in  Lock  Lomond  and  Mespeck,  N.  B.,  in  Nova 
Scotia,  in  St.  John's  Lake,  Grand  Lake,  Salmon  River 
and  Pockwock  Lake,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  found 
in  many  of  the  rivers  of  clear  water  coming  into  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  when  caught  are  called  young  salmon. 
I  have  seen  specimens  of  S.  gloveri  caught  on  our  rivers 
that  weighed  ten  or  twelve  pounds.  The  large  fish 
seldom  take  fly  or  bait,  but  keep  in  the  deep  water. 

Strange  Ways  of  Bears 

Bears  are  queer  animals  and  the  ways  of  the  wild 
female  almost  past  finding  out.  There  is  an  old  expres- 
sion of  Pliny's,  "licked  into  shape."  Walsh  explains  it 
as  having  arisen  out  of  an  early  superstition  that  a  bear's 
cub  is  born  an  amorphous  mass  and  is  licked  into  shape 
by  the  dam.  The  ancients  took  it  as  a  serious  state- 
ment of  natural  truth,  Pliny  giving  the  following  account 
of  the  phenomenon  :  "  Bears,  when  first  born,  are  shape- 
less masses  of  white  flesh,  a  little  larger  than  mice,  their 
claws  alone  being  prominent.  The  mother  then  licks 
them  gradually  into  proper  shape."  Shakespeare,  in 
Henry  VI.,  Part  III.,  refers  to  this  superstition  in  the 
following  lines : 

To  disproportion  me  in  every  part, 
Like  to  a  chaos  or  an  unlicked  whelp 
That  carries  no  impression  like  the  dam. 

There  is  interesting  bear  reading  by  Pallas,  Pennant, 
Godman  and  Richardson,  but  not  much  about  the  very 


334    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

young  bears.  Here  in  Maine  and  New  Brunswick,  with 
our  very  cold  weather,  deep  snows  rarely  fall  before  the 
last  of  November  and  bears  usually  take  to  their  dens 
about  that  time  for  hibernation.  The  male  bear  is  easily 
satisfied  with  any  kind  of  a  hole,  behind  the  root  of  an 
upturned  tree,  a  hollow  cliff,  or  in  the  end  of  an  old 
hollow  log.  But  not  so  with  the  female  if  she  is  par- 
turient. She  selects  a  very  obscure  place  and  makes, 
as  the  Indians  say,  "  a  soft  feather  bed  of  fir  branches." 
Our  bear  hunters  and  Indians  all  attest  to  the  truth  of 
the  deep  privacy  of  the  female  in  denning  and  it  is  not 
often  that  her  den  is  found.  It  is  a  maxim  with  our  bear 
hunters  and  woodsmen  that  no  one  has  ever  taken  a 
she-bear  with  young,  and  it  is  said  to  be  a  fact  that  if 
disturbed  she  will  always  abort.  Richardson,  quoting 
from  Pennant,  and  Godman,  both  attest  to  the  deep 
privacy  of  the  female  and  to  the  saying  of  the  Indians 
that  the  female  bears  went  like  the  wild  geese  south  in 
winter.  It  is  said  that  the  female  bear  is  always  very 
fat  in  the  fall,  while  the  male  is  wasted  by  the  September 
rut.  It  is  said  there  is  seen  at  times  over  a  bear's  den 
a  kind  of  sweat  or  vapor  that  will  conduct  a  dog  or  man 
to  them.  They  are  never  entirely  unconscious.  If  you 
poke  them  with  a  gun  or  stick  they  will  growl,  but 
relapse  again  into  repose. 

The  number  of  young  is  usually  two,  but  often  only 
one,  very  rarely  three  or  four.  The  young  cubs  are 
queer,  helpless  little  things  when  first  born,  which  is 
about  New  Year's  day.  They  are  not  much  larger  than  a 
full  grown  red  squirrel,  weigh  from  eight  to  ten  ounces 
and  measure  from  tip  of  nose  to  end  of  hind  toe  about 
ten  inches.    They  are  covered  by  a  fine,  close  black  hair 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         335 

upon  the  back  and  head,  but  bluish  slate  toward  the 
belly  and  inside  the  limbs.  The  ears  are  naked,  the  eyes 
closed,  the  tongue  exposed  and  jaws  slightly  open,  no 
teeth,  claws  large,  tail  long  for  its  size.  After  birth  the 
cub  receives  but  little  food  and  passes  the  three  or  four 
months  in  semi-torpor  and  grows  but  little  until  the 
parent  emerges,  and  then  quite  fast.  It  is  singular  that 
so  large  an  animal,  that  often  weighs  four  hundred 
pounds,  should  have  so  small  cubs. 

In  this  bear  hibernation  destroys  maternal  instinct. 
She  will  always  leave  her  cub  to  freeze  when  driven 
from  her  den ;  but  in  April  or  May  keep  away  from  her. 
That  an  animal  so  highly  organized  as  a  bear  should  be 
able  to  retain  not  only  its  vitality,  but  its  animal  heat 
and  its  muscular  strength  for  four  months,  without  any 
food  whatever,  is  well  attested,  knowing  as  we  do  that 
in  this  time,  if  there  be  no  supply  there  is  no  waste  save 
perhaps  of  animal  heat. 

But  when  we  consider  the  female,  we  find  there  is 
waste  and  no  supply.  The  material  for  a  second  life  and 
its  growth  must  be  taken  from  an  accumulated  fund. 
An  atmosphere  saved  only  by  the  animal  heat  of  the 
mother  from  that  without  the  den  often  down  to  zero  and 
a  torpid  mother  await  this  blind-born,  feeble  offspring. 
By  some  instinct  it  is  led  to  the  mamma,  where,  like 
certain  marsupials,  it  retains  a  firm  hold  on  the  nipple, 
and  now  a  change  comes  over  the  still  torpid  parent  in 
the  increase  of  the  lacteal  glands  to  secrete  milk ;  and  a 
wonderful  fact  is  that  no  food  is  taken  by  the  parent 
during  both  operations.  And  how  wonderful  the  polar 
bears,  whose  retreat  must  be  doubled  in  length  and 
severity  by  the  arctic  latitude  and  ice-formed  den. 


336    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  have  found  great  trouble  in  getting  specimens  of 
very  young  bears.  The  hunters,  always  in  a  hurry  to 
get  their  bear  bounties,  take  them  to  the  treasurer  for 
the  money  and  he  cuts  off  the  nose  from  the  skin  of  the 
old  one  and  the  whole  head  of  the  little  ones.  In  my 
many  winters  in  the  South  and  in  California,  where 
bears  do  not  den,  I  have  never  been  able  from  the 
hunters  to  find  one,  nor  ever  had  seen  one  until  it  was 
old  enough  to  follow  the  mother. 

The  Big  Woodpeckers 

"Red  Wing"  wishes  some  one  having  acquaintance 
with  the  ivory-billed  woodpecker  (Campe  philus  princi- 
palis) to  send  a  note  to  the  Forest  and  Stream.  This 
bird,  now  quite  rare,  was  not  uncommon  in  all  the  large 
swamps  in  Florida,  from  Lake  Washington  to  St.  Mary's 
river.  It  was  more  abundant  up  the  Wekiver,  a  small 
stream  below  Sanford,  but  used  to  be  common  about 
Lake  Jessup  and  all  the  large  swamps  on  the  west  coast, 
but  of  late  so  many  shooters  and  bird  collectors  go  south 
that  they  have  nearly  exterminated  many  very  interest- 
ing birds. 

But  a  few  years  ago  the  little  Carolina  parrot  or 
paroquet  was  very  abundant  all  over  Florida.  Now  they 
are  not  seen.  The  ivory-billed  woodpecker  is  easily 
found,  if  you  know  its  note,  which  it  utters  continually 
as  it  ascends  the  tree,  but  I  have  never  heard  any  sound 
when  flying.  As  soon  as  it  alights,  at  nearly  every  leap 
commences  its  loud,  queer  note,  repeated  three  times  — 
pate,  pate,  pate  —  and  this  can  be  heard  a  long  way  and 
often  leads  to  its  destruction. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         337 

I  have  never  taken  their  eggs.  They  breed  in  large 
high  trees  and  arc  not  easily  obtained.  Capt.  Brock,  at 
Lake  Jessnp,  a  few  years  since,  told  me  of  a  pair  he 
thought  were  breeding,  but  a  look  at  the  tree  and  hole 
was  sufficient.  We  did  not  get  the  eggs,  but  both  birds 
were  secured.  They  were  not  inclined  to  leave  the  tree 
and  we  thought  they  must  have  eggs  or  young  ;  and  this 
was  early  in  March.  Mr.  Maynard  of  Boston  collected 
seven  or  eight  on  the  west  coast  of  Florida  in  the  winter 
of  1883-84  and  I  had  two  sent  me  from  near  Palatka.  A 
smaller  bird  of  this  variety  is  found  in  the  West  Indies 
and  a  larger  one  in  Mexico. 

Bird  Study 

Interest  in  bird  lore  is  being  stimulated  among  Calais 
students,  teachers  and  would-be  naturalists,  and  I  have 
been  asked  by  a  lady  teacher  to  write  a  Bird  Study  paper 
for  some  preliminary  work.  As  early  spring  is  the  time 
to  begin  watching  the  birds,  while  in  their  migrations, 
some  hints  on  the  subject  may  now  seem  quite  apropos. 

Birding  is  a  pastime  akin  to  hunting.  It  affords  entirely 
as  much  freedom,  equal  opportunities  to  draw  near  to 
nature,  as  many  hazards  to  call  into  play  nerve  and 
fortitude,  and  chances  for  acquiring  quite  as  much  know- 
ledge. The  chief  difference  is  that  one  necessarily 
involves  bird  slaughter,  the  other  must  embrace  the  not- 
ing of  facts.  I  might  say  it  is  essentially  a  pastime  for 
woman.  Her  nature  craves  the  recreation  of  hunting, 
but,  on  account  of  her  delicate  sympathies,  not  from  lack 
of  nerve,  she  shrinks,  as  a  rule,  from  the  use  of  the  gun. 
She  can,  however,  endure  and  even  enjoy  the  hazards, 


338     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

and  can  make  her  note  book  more  than  tally  with  any 
sportsman's  gaming  bag. 

Birds  are  now  —  May  25,  1899  —  fast  coming  and 
leaves  afford  less  chances  for  cover  than  later.  Prepara- 
tory to  setting  out  she  might  acquaint  herself  with  certain 
facts  pertaining  to  her  field  of  investigation.  Eists  of 
the  bird  migrants  she  may  expect  to  arrive,  a  bird  manual 
of  the  birds  of  her  locality  or  state,  at  the  library,  may 
be  very  helpful.  Also,  a  few  trips  to  a  museum  to 
familiarize  herself  with  the  lists.  An  opera  glass  and  a 
note  book,  in  the  way  of  equipments,  are  quite  indispen- 
sable, and  she  may,  if  she  does  not  mind  the  extra 
luggage,  take  along  some  bird  book,  but  this  is  not 
necessary.  A  small  boy  or  a  congenial  companion,  or  a 
dog,  if  he  be  the  right  sort,  as  a  bugbear  to  impudent 
vagrants  or  uncertain  cattle  which  may  cross  her  path. 

The  next  thing  is  a  choice  of  a  wood  or  field  for  activity, 
but  this  is  sometimes  quite  a  problem.  Birds  are  erratic 
in  their  choice  of  stopping  places,  and  the  point  to  find 
out  is  where  they  hold  forth.  But,  as  this  is  the  age  of 
bicycle  riding,  distance  does  not  count.  One  of  my 
favorite  woods  used  to  be  the  St.  Stephen  rural  cemetery, 
and  Mr.  Almond's  smiling  face  was  always  ready  to 
welcome  me,  however  early  I  might  get  there.  Hon.  G. 
F.  Hill's  woods,  out  on  the  valley  road,  was  another 
good  place  where  I  found  birds  to  congregate.  At  Mill- 
town,  St.  Stephen,  out  back  of  Mr.  Roy's,  back  of  Todd's 
mountain,  so  called,  and  in  the  Butler  pasture  and  up 
about ' '  burned  hill' '  road.  The  more  the  beginner  moves 
about,  unless  she  is  absolutely  certain  of  her  ground, 
the  better  is  her  chance  of  finding  something. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         339 

One  of  the  most  important  things  to  learn  is  the  note 
or  song  of  the  bird.  It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  what 
a  spring  would  be  without  the  songs  of  birds;  spring 
would  lose  one  of  her  greatest  charms  if  there  were  no 
song  birds.  The  best  part  of  a  bird  is  its  song.  The 
cedar  bird  is  beautiful,  but  has  no  song  and  is  no  favor- 
ite. One  of  the  first  June  birds  we  hear  in  the  woods  is 
the  red-eyed  fly-catcher  and  you  hear  his  note  all  day, 
rain  or  shine.  Another  quite  common  is  called  golden 
crown  thrush,  but  which,  I  think,  should  be  called  a 
warbler.  It  has  a  sharp  note  that  sounds  like  "teacher, 
teacher,  teacher,"  and  at  times  a  far  rarer  song,  like 
some  of  the  finches.  In  the  song  of  the  robin  there  is 
something  military  ;  in  that  of  the  bobolink,  hilarity ;  in 
that  of  the  cat  bird,  pride. 

But  I  enter  the  woods  and,  while  listening  to  the  lesser 
songsters,  a  strain  has  reached  my  ear  from  out  of  the 
depths  of  the  forest  that  to  me  is  the  finest  sound  in 
nature  —  the  divine  soprano  of  the  hermit  thrush.  The 
river  drivers  call  it  the  nightingale,  as  it  sings  in  the 
night.  You  often  hear  it  a  long  way  off,  sometimes  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away,  where  only  the  stronger  and 
more  perfect  parts  of  his  music  reach  you  and  through 
the  general  chorus  of  warblers  and  finches  you  detect 
this  sound,  rising  pure  and  serene  as  if  a  spirit  from 
some  remote  height  was  slowly  chanting  a  divine  accom- 
paniment. The  song  appeals  to  the  sentiment  of  the 
beautiful  and  suggests  a  serene,  religious  beatitude  as 
no  other  sound  in  nature  does. 

Although  this  bird  sings  at  nearly  all  hours  of  the 
day,  it  best  appears  in  the  evening  song.  The  note  is 
very  simple  and  sounds  like  this:    "O  spheral,  spheral, 


340    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

O  holy,  holy,  O  clear  away,  clear  away,  O  clear  up,  clear 
up  !  "  interspersed  with  the  finest  trills  and  most  delicate 
preludes,  as  if  the  little  creature  were  praying  for  the 
bright  sunny  days  of  midsummer.  It  has  not  a  proud 
strain  like  the  mocking  bird  or  tanager,  it  suggests  no 
passion  or  emotion ;  but  its  note  seems  to  be  the  voice 
of  that  calm,  sweet  solemnity  one  attains  in  his  best 
moments.  A  bird  collector,  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  was  I, 
shot  one  while  singing.  I  opened  its  beak  and  found 
the  inside  yellow  as  gold.  I  was  almost  prepared  to  find 
it  inlaid  with  pearls  or  diamonds,  or  to  see  an  angel 
issue  from  it.  All  the  thrush  family  are  fine  singers,  but 
the  hermit  thrush  the  best  of  them  all. 

During  the  last  of  May  and  early  da}^s  in  June  is  the 
time  for  the  student  of  ornithology  to  study  the  birds. 
They  are  then  nesting  and  in  full  song  and  plumage. 
We  little  suspect  when  we  walk  in  the  woods,  or  even 
under  the  large  trees  of  our  sidewalks,  whose  privacy  we 
are  intruding  upon  —  that  over  our  heads  are  rare  and 
elegant  visitants  from  Florida,  Central  America  and  the 
islands  of  the  seas. 

The  birds  of  the  family  Turdidse,  the  thrushes,  belong 
to  the  highest  rank  of  bird  intelligence  and  to  the  first 
rank  among  song  birds.  Our  common  robin,  though 
not  a  wonderful  songster  like  the  hermit  thrush  or  the 
"  veery,"  called  the  Wilson's  thrush,  the  blue-bird,  with 
its  sweet  warble  and  the  brown  thrush,  in  some  parts 
called  the  mocking  bird  (the  two  last  named  seldom 
making  their  appearance  so  far  north  as  Calais),  is  often 
classed  with  the  thrushes. 

There  are  five  species  of  thrushes  listed  among  the 
birds  of  Eastern  North  America;    but  there  are  only 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         341 

three  species  the  ordinary  observer  will  be  likely  to 
notice  in  this  latitude  and  of  these  the  robin  is  the  only 
species  that  attracts  general  attention.  The  robin  is 
well  known  from  Labrador  to  Mexico  and  by  the  same 
name.  The  other  two  of  the  five  are  not  familiar  in  the 
haunts  of  man  and  seldom  are  heard  in  town. 

The  Wilson  thrush,  or  "  veery,"  has  queer  unearthly 
notes  to  its  song,  which  I  cannot  describe.  It  is  thought 
by  some  to  be  the  peer  of  all  thrushes,  but  I  do  not  think 
so.  It  is  a  little  larger  than  the  hermit  and  about  the 
size  of  the  largest  English  sparrow.  The  hermit  is  the 
smallest  of  all.  All  have  brown  backs  and  white  breasts, 
speckled  with  dark  brown  spots.  The  hermit  thrush  is 
reddest  on  the  tail,  and  his  breast  is  finely  spotted.  The 
"veery"  has  a  tawny  or  reddish  brown  back  without 
any  change  of  color  at  the  head  or  tail,  and  is  slightly 
spotted  on  the  sides  of  his  breast.  The  hermit  builds  a 
nest  in  the  depth  of  the  dark  woods,  on  the  ground,  of 
moss,  coarse  grasses,  pine  needles  and  other  materials  of 
this  kind  that  can  be  found  in  the  woods  ;  the  "  veery" 
about  the  same. 

Birds  are  of  inestimable  value  to  mankind.  Without 
their  unremitting  services  our  gardens  and  fields  would 
be  laid  waste  by  insect  pests.  But  we  owe  them  a  greater 
debt  even  than  this,  for  the  study  of  birds  tends  to 
develop  some  of  the  best  attributes  and  impulses  of  our 
nature.  Among  them  we  find  examples  of  generosity, 
unselfish  devotion,  of  the  love  of  mother  for  offspring 
and  other  estimable  qualities.  Their  industry,  patience 
and  ingenuity  excite  our  admiration  ;  their  songs  inspire 
us  with  love  of  music  and  poetry  ;  their  beautiful  plumage 
and  graceful  manners  appeal  to  our  esthetic  sense  ;  their 


342      THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

long  migrations  to  distant  lands  stimulate  our  imagina- 
tions. 

Some  of  the  waders  and  phalaropes  breed  in  northern 
Labrador  and  winter  in  Patagonia,  going  a  hundred 
degrees  of  latitude,  fall  and  spring  ;  and  tempt  us  to 
inquire  what  are  the  causes  of  those  wonderful  periodic 
movements ;  and,  finally,  the  endless  modifications  of 
form  and  habits  by  which  they  are  enabled  to  live  under 
most  diverse  conditions  of  food  and  climate  —  on  land 
and  at  sea  —  invite  the  student  of  nature  into  fields 
inexhaustible  of  pleasurable  research. 

Minor  Notes  on  Natural  History 

I  have  lately  obtained  a  black  specimen  of  the  common  Red 
Squirrel.  It  was  killed  at  Letang,  New  Brunswick,  where  neither 
the  Gray  nor  the  common  Black  squirrel  are  known  to  occur.  — 
American  Naturalist,  volume  1,  page  53. 

How  does  it  happen  that  we  find  the  Black  Guillemot,  Una 
grylle  (Lath.)  iu  full  black  plumage  all  winter?  All  our  works  on 
Natural  History  tell  us  they  change  to  white  or  gray  in  winter, 
but  I  often  get  specimens  which  are  black  in  mid-winter.  May  it 
not  be  that  only  the  young  are  light  in  winter?  I  can  hardly 
think  it  possible  some  would  remain  black  and  others  change ;  I 
can  see  no  difference  between  my  dark  winter  and  summer  speci- 
mens. —  American  Naturalist,  volume  1,  page  53. 

A  correspondent  of  the  American  Naturalist  inquired  in  the 
number  for  November,  1867 :  "  Can  you  inform  me  what  is  the 
use  of  the  comb-like  formation  on  the  inside  of  the  middle  claw  of 
the  Night-heron,  the  Night-hawk  and  Whippoorwill  ?  Is  it  peculiar 
to  night-birds?"  This  inquiry  was  referred  to  Dr.  T.  M.  Brewer 
who  referred  it  to  Mr.  Boardman,  who  writes  that  Mr.  Boardman 
answered  it  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner.  The  peculiar  "  forma- 
ation,"  says  Mr.  Boardman,  is  used  by  the  birds  to  clean  their 
heads  and  such  portions  of  their  neck,  back,  etc.,  as  they  cannot 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         343 

reach  with  their  bills.    lie  often  finds  them  containing  feathers, 
down,  dead  skin,  etc.  —  American  Naturalist,  volume  1,  page  498. 

Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman  of  Milltown,  Me.,  writes  us  (November, 
186S)  that  he  collected  the  nests  and  eggs  of  the  following  birds 
in  the  spring  of  1868 :  Goshawk,  Canada  Jay,  VVhite-wiuged 
Crossbill,  Pine  Finch  and  the  Pine  Grosbeak.  — American  Natural- 
ist, volume  3,  page  222. 

In  the  June  (1868)  Naturalist,  Mr.  Tripp  in  his  interesting 
article,  states  that  the  Tennessee  warbler  is  not  found  in  New 
England,  or  only  as  a  straggler.  With  us  it  is  one  of  our  very 
common  wrarblers,  and  I  can  collect  half  a  dozen  almost  any 
morning  about  the  twentieth  of  May.  A  few  remain  through  the 
season.  —  American  Naturalist,  volume  3,  page  222. 

In  the  August  (1868)  Naturalist  you  ask  if,  like  Mr.  Pope, 
anyone  has  observed  Wilson's  Snipe  on  trees?  This  is  not  an 
uncommon  habit  of  the  bird,  when  you  are  taking  its  nest  or 
catching  its  young ;  but  I  have  never  observed  it  at  any  other  time. 
Of  our  sixteen  species  of  ducks,  I  have  observed  the  same  thing  in 
all  but  two,  when  trying  to  catch  their  young.  —  American 
Naturalist,  volume  3,  page  222. 

In  the  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  3,  page  331,  Mr.  H.  A.  Purdie, 
writing  of  Mr.  Boardman's  statement  that  the  Tennessee  warbler 
was  very  abundant  in  his  locality,  says :  "This  fact  is  very  inter- 
esting. It  shows  how  irregular  is  the  distribution  of  some  of  our 
birds.  This  species  seems  to  be  one  of  a  class  of  birds  which, 
though  quite  rare  in  other  parts  of  New  England,  are  not  at  all  so 
in  southeastern  Maine,  reaching  that  region,  I  presume,  by  way  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  central  Maine  water  route." 

In  the  August  (186S)  Naturalist,  A.  R.  Y.  mentions  that  the 
Pied  or  Labrador  duck  was  shot  on  Long  Island  last  winter.  I 
would  be  much  obliged  to  A.  R.  Y.  if  he  would  let  me  know  if  the 
specimens  shot  were  full-plumaged  males  and  who  has  them. 
This  is  a  very  interesting  bird  to  the  naturalist,  from  the  fact  of 
its  being  so  rare,  and  I  had  almost  begun  to  think  the  bird  had 
left  us,  as  I  had  not  heard  of  a  full-plumaged  male  being  taken 
for  ten  years.    I  have  been  shown  two  which  were  taken  for  the 


344     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

young,  but  one  was  a  young  albino  Scoter  and  the  other  I  did  not 
know.  Not  many  years  ago  it  was  a  common  bird  all  along  our 
coast,  from  Delaware  to  Labrador;  and  in  the  New  York  market 
there  would  at  times  be  dozens  of  them ;  and  then  for  a  few  years 
not  one.  It  would  be  very  interesting  to  know  where  they  have 
gone.  Though  so  much  has  been  learned  of  the  distribution, 
summer  and  winter  homes  of  birds  within  a  few  years,  their 
breeding  habits,  line  of  travel  north  and  south,  and  from  the 
numerous  collectors  who  have  gone  to  Labrador,  the  fur  countries 
and  across  the  continent;  yet  not  one  word  is  said  about  the 
Labrador  duck,  a  common  bird  a  few  years  ago.  So  good  a  flyer  and 
diver  cannot  be  extinct  like  the  clumsy  Alca  impennis  (Great  Auk), 
and  any  collector  who  may  take  a  full-plumaged  bird,  or  knows 
where  they  have  gone,  by  letting  it  be  known  in  the  Naturalist, 
would  interest  many  of  its  readers.  —  American  Naturalist,  volume 
3,  page  383. 

I  had  sent  me  (shot  in  this  neighborhood)  a  good  specimen  of 
the  Black  Vulture  (Cathartes  atratus),  the  first  one  I  ever  knew 
so  far  east;  and  also  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Purple  Gallinule, 
Gallinula  martinica.  —  American  Naturalist,  volume  3,  page  498. 

Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman  of  Calais,  Me.,  writes  that  he  found 
several  flocks  of  the  Ring-neck  Duck  (Fulix  collaris)  breeding  on 
the  river,  near  Calais,  the  past  season  and  that  he  secured  the  old 
and  "  chicks."  He  states  that  he  knows  of  no  other  instance  of 
this  duck  breeding  in  New  England.  —  American  Naturalist, 
volume  5,  page  121. 

I  found  a  mocking  bird  (Minus  polyglottus)  in  the  woods  up 
the  river  this  past  season.  This  is  the  first  time  the  bird  has  been 
found  in  Maine,  to  my  knowledge,  and  I  think  it  could  not  have 
been  an  escaped  cage  bird.  —  American  Naturalist,  volume  5, 
page  121. 

1  received  in  November  last  a  very  pretty  black  specimen  of 
the  Sciurus  Hudsonius  and  also  a  pure  white  specimen  of  the  same 
species.  — American  Naturalist,  volume  5,  page  121. 

Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman  of  Calais,  Me.,  writes  us  that  he  has  a 
Florida  Gallinule  (Gallinula  galeata)  that  was  shot  near  Calais 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         345 

this  last  spring.  Also  a  black  Golden-winged  Woodpecker 
(Colaptes  auratus),  black  as  a  grackle  and  breeding  with  a  wood- 
pecker of  the  usual  color.  An  albino  of  the  Little  Black-headed 
Duck  {Fiilix  affinis)  has  also  been  added  to  his  collection  and  he 
found  a  pair  of  Red-headed  Ducks  (Aythya  Americana)  breeding 
near  Calais.  This  is  the  first  time  he  has  found  the  Red-head  in 
summer. —  American  Naturalist,  volume  5,  page  062. 

Mr.  Geo.  A.  Boardmau  of  Calais,  has  had  presented  to  him  a 
deer's  hoof  without  the  cleft  which  is  something  of  a  curiosity, 
though  how  uuusual  we  are  not  informed. —  Forest  and  Stream, 
May  27,  1875. 

In  answer  to  Prof.  Le  Conte's  question  about  hybrids  in 
ducks,  [  would  say  I  have  found  the  dusky  and  mallard  cross 
quite  often  ;  have  now  three  or  four  mounted  in  my  collection.  I 
once  found  a  cross  between  what  looked  like  a  red  head  and  pin 
tail,  and  think  perhaps  such  changes  are  now  observed  more  than 
in  former  years.  I  have  found  no  crosses  within  five  or  six  years. 
I  would  like  to  ask  if  the  male  mallard  does  not  change  its 
plumage  in  summer.  They  are  not  common  with  us. — Forest  and 
.Stream,  Dec.  9,  1875. 

Woodcock  have  been  more  abundant  than  I  have  ever  known 
them,  some  afternoons  would  get  up  a  dozen ;  very  unusual  for 
East  Florida.  I  wing-tipped  a  snipe,  Gallinago  Wilsonii;  it  fell 
into  the  water ;  the  dog  going  to  retrieve  it,  it  would  dive  like  a 
grebe.  1  have  known  the  spotted  sandpiper  to  do  this,  but  never 
a  snipe.  They  are  fast  leaving  for  the  north.  A  quail  started  to 
fly  out  on  the  St.  John  river  and  lighted  in  the  water;  ingoing 
for  the  bird  with  a  boat,  it  flew  from  the  water  and  saved  itself; 
no  stick  or  chip  could  be  seen.  My  friend,  Mr.  Livingston,  shot  a 
large  rattlesnake.  It  had  a  good  sized  rabbit  in  its  throat  all 
covered  with  saliva;  on  pulling  the  rabbit  out  of  its  mouth  it  soon 
ran  away  apparently  uninjured.  I  saw  the  first  purple  martin, 
Frogne purpura,  February  2d;  have  seen  them  come  to  the  boxes 
in  Jacksonville  the  11th  February;  this  year  they  are  a  little  late. 
The  only  swallow  we  see  here  in  winter  is  the  white-bellied, 
Uirundo  bicolor. — Forest  and  Stream,  March  15,  1877. 


346    THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

Workmen  cutting  logs  on  Lee  river,  Vt.,  in  February,  1878, 
found  a  nest  and  young  of  the  Crossbill.  This  is  not  unusual  as 
Mr.  Boardraau  has  found  them  breeding  in  winter  in  the  vicinity 
of  Eastport,  Maine.  —  Forest  and  Stream,  March  7,  1878. 

On  May  29,  1880,  Mr.  Gordon  Plummer  of  Brookline,  Mass., 
shot  in  that  town  a  beautiful  specimen  of  the  adult  male  blue 
Grosbeak.  This  is  believed  to  be  the  only  specimen  of  this  species 
ever  taken  in  Massachusetts.  None  previous  to  this  has  ever 
been  recorded.  We  have  the  record  of  one  specimen  only,  taken 
in  New  England,  which  was  shot  in  Maine  nineteen  years  ago  and 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  George  A.  Boardraan,  the  eminent 
ornithologist.  — Forest  and  Stream,  June  24,  1880. 

When  up  in  northern  Dakota  this  fall,  I  was  told  by  a  herder 
of  a  very  curious  eagle's  nest,  composed  largely  of  buffalo  ribs, 
which  I  went  to  see.  It  was  upon  a  hillock,  and  could  be  seen  a 
long  distance  off.  There  were  about  forty  ribs,  one  end  of  each 
turning  up,  then  filled  in  with  nearly  a  cart  load  of  turf  and 
rubbish.  It  had  been  used  this  year,  and  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
used  many  years.  Saw  no  birds  as  they  had  left,  so  could  not  tell 
the  species,  but  the  large  buffalo  ribs  in  the  foundation  of  a  bird's 
nest  looked  very  strange.  —  Forest  and  Stream,  Dec.  28,  1882. 

I  saw  a  few  weeks  ago  an  interesting  paper  from  Byrne  about 
vultures,  and  perhaps  it  would  interest  him  and  others  to  know 
how  far  north  the  black  vulture  occurs.  Last  September,  when 
shooting  in  northern  Dakota,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Sanborn, 
I  saw  quite  a  large  number  of  birds  I  supposed  to  be  the  common 
turkey  buzzard,  aura,  but,  one  coming  near,  I  saw  it  to  be  the 
short  tail  species,  atratus.  Soon  another  came  near,  which  I  shot, 
as  I  wanted  to  be  sure  there  was  no  mistake  about  its  being  a 
black  vulture.  The  bird  did  not  appear  to  have  any  of  the  strong 
smell  I  have  found  in  the  specimens  taken  in  the  South.  I  have 
also  fouud  the  bird  in  the  East,  nearly  the  same  parallel,  in  north- 
ern Maine,  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  where  aura  is  very 
seldom  found.  The  turkey  buzzard  is  common  about  Lake  Minne- 
tonka  in  summer,  but  I  never  have  seen  atratus  in  Minnesota  and 
was  much  surprised  to  find  the  bird  in  Dakota.  In  regard  to  the 
way  buzzards  sustain  a  flight  so  long,  soaring  in  the  air  without 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         347 

auy  visible  motion  of  the  wiugs,  may  it  not  be  on  something  of  the 
principle  of  a  kite?  The  string,  of  course,  holds  the  kite ;  but  the 
bird  lias  intelligence  and  by  a  certain  curve  of  its  wings  and  tail 
throws  a  weight  upon  the  body  and  causes  a  purchase  upon  the 
air,  as  the  string  to  the  kite.  Hawks  were  very  abundant  in 
Dakota  in  September.  They  appeared  to  be  migrating  by  the 
hundreds.  Marsh,  rough-legs  and  Swainson's  were  most  numer- 
ous.— Forest  and  Stream,  March  8,  1883. 

The  cold  winter  north  sent  to  Florida  great  numbers  of  wood- 
cock, to  the  joy  of  the  shooters.  Quail  have  been  quite  numerous 
and  the  gardeners  now  complain  that  they  take  more  strawberries 
than  the  robins  north.  The  Everglade  Kite  has  been  making  us  a 
visit  near  Jacksonville  this  winter.  Three  are  now  in  the  taxider- 
mist's hands,  taken  near  here.  —  Forest  and  Stream,  April  10,  1884. 

When  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  a  short  time  since,  I  saw  in  Mr. 
Tappan's  taxidermist  shop  the  skin  of  a  black  lynx  {Lynx  rufus). 
It  was  killed  in  South  Florida  the  winter  of  1885.  I  have  seen 
very  dark  and  nearly  black  wolf  skins  in  Florida,  but  never  before 
saw  or  heard  of  a  black  lynx.  It  is  to  be  sent  to  the  National 
Museum,  Washington. — Forest  and  Stream,  Sept.  23,  1886. 

A  boy  has  sent  me  an  English  starling  shot  here  with  some 
redwings.  I  saw  some  imported  ones  were  let  out  at  Central  Park 
last  spring.  This  may  be  one  of  them  come  north. —  Forest  and 
Stream,  Aug.  22,  1889. 

After  some  years  we  are  this  summer  having  some  of  our  old 
acquaintances  in  the  way  of  wild  pigeons.  Several  flocks  have 
been  about,  and  I  hope  they  may  again  become  abundant.  — 
Forest  and  Stream,  Sept.  5,  1889. 

As  Mr.  Seth  Gerry  of  Eobbiuston  (about  twelve  miles  below 
Calais)  was  milking  his  cows  in  the  yard  on  Wednesday  evening, 
a  large  bull  moose  made  its  appearance  among  the  cows.  They 
did  not  appear  the  least  alarmed.  Mr.  Gerry  shot  the  creature 
from  his  house  window.  Not  often  does  such  large  game  come 
to  a  man's  yard  to  be  shot  in  such  an  old-settled  neighborhood  as 
Eobbiuston.  The  head  will  be  sent  to  your  neighbor,  John 
Wallace,  to  be  mounted. — Forest  and  Stream,  Oct.  31,  1889. 


348     THE  NATURALIST  OF  THE  ST.  CROIX 

I  thought  perhaps  some  of  your  readers  might  like  to  know 
of  a  new  way  to  study  owls.  Some  friends  went  out  shooting  a 
day  or  two  ago.  One  shot  at  and  wounded  the  wing  of  a  big 
Virginia  horned  owl.  He  was  advised  to  kill  the  bird  but  would 
not  do  so.  He  was  going  to  study  the  bird  alive,  so  he  put  the 
big  bird  down  behind  him  in  the  blind.  Soon  a  duck  came  flying 
along  and  he  stooped  so  low  in  shootiug  he  sat  on  the  owl.  The 
owl  not  liking  this  way  of  being  studied  fastened  its  claws  into 
his  back  and  refused  all  attempts  to  make  it  let  go,  and  the  more 
they  tried  to  get  him  off  the  harder  he  pinched T  and  from  the 
howling  of  the  man  it  would  appear  as  if  the  owl  was  studying 
the  man  instead  of  the  man  studying  the  owl.  The  bird  had  to  be 
killed  before  he  would  let  go,  and  although  the  man's  back  may 
not  be  as  smooth  as  usual,  and  it  may  be  some  time  before  he  can 
sit  down,  he  knows  more  about  owls  than  he  did. — Forest  and 
Stream,  Dec.  4,  1890. 

In  writing  you  the  other  day  the  woodcock  paper  I  intended 
to  speak  of  the  power  curlews  have  of  inflexing  the  upper  bill 
same  as  the  woodcock,  so  as  to  run  along  the  groove  of  the  lower 
mandible  and  to  clean  out  whatever  may  be  adhering  there.  Prof. 
Baird  told  me  this  and  a  Jamaica  man,  a  Mr.  Hill,  said  the  ibis 
also  does  the  same.  — Forest  and  Stream,  Jan.  8,  1891. 

In  answer  to  your  or  Mr.  Chapman's  note  about  wolves  in 
Florida,  I  would  say  that  I  purchased  winter  before  last  the  skin 
of  a  very  large  black  wolf,  as  black  as  any  bear,  killed  near  Fort 
Mears,  south  Florida.  I  sent  it  to  the  National  Museum,  Washing- 
ton and  last  winter  a  skin  dealer  in  Jacksonville  had  another  one, 
very  dark  (but  not  black),  killed  down  in  Lee  county,  south 
Florida.  —  Forest  and  Stream,  Dec.  3,  1891. 

Your  cuts  of  the  wild  animals  have  all  been  very  fine ;  the  last 
Lynx  canadensis,  very  life-like.  This  wildcat  a  few  years  ago 
was  very  common  in  our  woods  and  Lynx  rufus  did  hardly  ever 
occur.  Now  it  is  much  more  abundant  than  canadensis.  About 
five  years  ago  a  taxidermist,  Mr.  Tappan,  secured  a  black  Lynx 
rufus,  a  very  pretty,  glossy  black  animal.  I  wanted  to  procure  it 
for  the  National  Museum,  Washington,  but  as  a  black  Lynx  was 
something  very  rare,  he  did  not  care  to  part  with  it.    It  was  taken 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SKETCHES         349 

down  iuto  southwest  Florida.  I  afterward  saw  him  in  Minne- 
apolis and  he  consented  to  send  the  skin,  which  he  had  tanned,  to 
Washington  as  a  fur  specimen.  This  wildcat  (L.  rufua)  is  very- 
abundant  in  Florida,  but  much  smaller  in  size.  Hair  thin  and 
coarse  even  in  winter.  —  Forest  and  Stream,  November  24,  1892. 

Woodcock  arrive  in  Maine  not  long  after  the  arrival  of  the 
robins,  or  as  soon  as  the  ground  has  been  softened  by  the  sunny 
days.  The  female  soon  builds  a  poor  little  nest  of  leaves  upon 
the  ground,  lays  four  eggs  of  a  dull  clay  color  covered  with 
brownish  spots.  The  eggs  are  large  for  the  size  of  the  bird, 
nearly  as  large  as  the  eggs  of  the  partridge.  The  male  assists  in 
incubation.  The  young  are  a  funny  little  downy  crowd  and  will 
quickly  hide  under  a  twig  or  leaf,  while  the  old  bird  often  takes 
them  through  the  air  to  a  place  of  safety.  Twice  I  have  found 
the  chicks  iu  Florida,  so  a  few  breed  far  south  and  a  few  have 
been  found  in  winter  as  far  south  as  Jamaica.  I  never  iu  my 
shooting  found  them  in  California. — The  Calais  Times. 


INDEX 


Aiken,  Charles  E.,  letter  of 293 

Albinism 120 

Albinos,  list  of 121 

Allen,  J.  A.,  34, 47  ;  letter  of,  54  ;  trib- 
ute to  Mr.  Boardman,  144  ;  sketch 
of,  287. 

American  Merganser 116 

Backman,  Dr 197 

Bailey,  L.  W.,  letter  of 291 

Baird,  Spencer  F.,  35,  37,  40,  43,  57, 
59,  61,  G5,  68,  70,  78,  79,  83,  130, 
153,  154  ;  death  of,  85,  156  ;  note 
about  black  robin,  122  ;  letters  to 
Mr.  Boardman,  161,  163-174. 

Bears,  habits  of,  127 ;  ways  of 333 

Birds,  the  Boardman  collection,  96  ;  of 
Calais,  first  list  of,  39  ;  of  Florida, 
list  of,  49  ;  of  St.  Croix,  list  of,  300. 

Bird  Study 337 

Black  Buzzard 115 

Black  Robin 121,  180 

Black  Vulture 177,  346 

Blue  Grosbeak 346 

Boardman  Family,  history  of 3 

Boardman,  A.  J. .   30 

Boardman,  Charles  A 25,  29,  45,  78 

Boardman,  Frederick  Henry 25,  30 

Boardman,  George  A.,  birth  of,  16  ; 
marriage  of,  21 ;  children  of,  29 ; 
visits  West  Indies,  32  ;  first  visit 
to  Florida,  45;  letter  to  J.  A. 
Allen,  48,  54  ;  letter  to  S.  F.  Baird, 
59,  63,  75  ;  injury  to  knee,  73  ;  let- 
ter to  Hallock,  94  ;  collection  of 
birds,  96,  98,  106  ;    death  of,  97  ; 


sale  of  collection  of  birds  to  New 
Brunswick  government,  102;  mem- 
ber Congregational  church,  136  ; 
personal  characteristics,  130  ;  fond- 
ness for  reading,  139  ;  tributes  to, 
141  ;  membership  in  learned  soci- 
eties, 151. 
Boardman,  Mrs.  George  A.,  25,  132  ; 
death  of,  92. 

Boardman,  Georgianna  A 30 

Boardman,  Gorham 138 

Boardman,  William  B 30,  93 

Brewer,  Thomas  M 285 

Brown,  N.  Clifford,  letter  of 99 

Buffle  Head  Duck 219 

Calais,  first  settlers  of,  13  ;  birds  of, 
list  first  published,  39. 

Capercailzie  or  Wood-grouse 113 

Cliff  Swallow 35 

Cormorant,  Double-crested   234 

Coues,  Elliott   121,289 

Crossbill,  breeding  in  winter 346 

Dall.William  H.,  tribute  to  Mr.Board- 

ni.i  n 150 

Dresser,  Henry  E.,  44,  125,  192  ;  trib- 
ute to  Mr.  Boardman,  151  ;  sketch 
of,  249  ;  works  of,  251  ;  letters  of, 
252-262. 
Ducks,  Crested  European,  114 ;  Gold- 
en-eyed, 231  ;  Labrador,  117,  118, 

343  ;  Pied,  200  ;  Ring-necked, 205, 

344  ;  Ruddy,  204  ;  Tufted,  179. 

Duck  Hawk 218,  266,  278 

Ducks,  Tree  Nesting 329 

Eaton,  H.  F 21 


INDEX 


351 


Edmunds,  Hon.  George  F 203 

Eggs,  collection  and  care  of 119 

Elliot,  D.  G.,  118,275  J  tribute  to  Mr. 

Boaidman,  150. 

Everglade  Kite 347 

Fishes,  list  of 316 

Flewelling,  W.  P 103,  107 

Florida,  list  of  birds  of,  49  ;  snakes  in, 

228  ;  winter  life  in,  324. 

Florida  Gallinule 344 

Foster,  Dr.  Henry GG,  90,  91,  190 

Fredericton,  N.  B.,  city  of 108 

Frogs,  list  of 322 

Gale,  the  Saxby 5G 

Gay,  Edward  G 113 

Glover,  P.  W 123 

Gordon,  Arthur  H.,  letter  of 291 

Grebe,  Crested,  230  ;  western 273 

Hallock,   Charles,   67,   94,   119,  123; 

account  of   Boardman  collection, 

107  ;  sketch  of,  281  ;  tribute  to  Mr. 

Boardman,  142. 
Hawk,  Black  and  Rough-legged,  224, 

225,  239  ;  Broad-winged,  241. 

Heemann,  A.  L.,  letter  of 295 

Henry,  Joseph,  43,  46  ;  death  of 72 

Hill,  George  F 101 

Holmes,  Ezekiel,  letter  of 294 

Hybrids  in  ducks  .    345 

Knight,  Ora  W 118 

Krider,  John 37,  42 

Labrador  Gyrfalcon 114 

Langley,  S.  P 126 

Lee,  Leslie  A 139 

Library,  New  Brunswick  legislative..  109 

Lizards,  list  of 322 

Lynx  Rufus 211,  282,  347 

Mammals,  list  of 319 

Marsh  Hawk 238 

Melanism 120 

Messina  Quail 113 

Minneapolis,  birds  of  . .  .74,  76,  77,  82,  247 

Moose,  shot  in  farm  yard 347 

Murchie,  James 141 

Natural  History,   attractions  of,   67 ; 

sketches,  323. 


Night  Heron 218,  342 

Osborne,  Henry 124 

Owl,  Acadian,  223 ;  Great  Horned, 
232  ;  Virginia  Horned,  348. 

Owls,  period  of  incubation 224 

Pine  Grosbeak 25G,  273 

Ridgway,  Robert,  86,  119,  129  ;  letter 
of,  87  ;  tribute  to  Mr.  Boardman, 
150  ;  sketch  of,  262. 

Rogers,  John  F 107 

Saxby  Gale 5G 

Saguenay,  Winninish  of 332 

Scientific  lists 298 

Sclater,  P.  L.,  letter  of 293 

Screech  Owl 221 

Shell  Heap 188,  202 

Smithsonian  Institution,  71,  81  ;  Mr. 

Boardman's  gifts  to,  126. 
Snakes,  list  of,  321 ;  in  Florida,  328. 
St.  Croix,  birds  of,  300  ;  fishes  of,  316  ; 
frogs  of,  322  ;  lizards  of,  322  ; 
mammals  of,  319  ;  snakes  of,  321  ; 
toads  of,  322  ;  turtles  of,  321  ;  val- 
ley, 11. 

Tennessee  Warbler 343 

Toads,  list  of 322 

Todd,  William 18,  20 

Todd,  William  F 101,  103, 105 

Tree  Nesting  Ducks 329 

Turtles,  list  of 321 

Tweedie,  L.  J 102 

Verrill,  A.  E Ill 

Vulture,  Black 344 

Waite,  B.  F 17 

Wales,  Prince  of,  in  Halifax 284 

Whipple,  Bishop  Henry  B 77 

Wilson's  Snipe  on  Trees 343,  345 

Winninish  of  the  Saguenay 332 

Winter  Life  in  Florida 323 

Wood,  Dr.  Alphonso 220 

Wood,  Dr.  William,  34,  8G,  213  ;  col- 
lection in  ornithology,  21G  ;  letters 
of,  224,  225,  229-234. 

Wood,  Mrs.  Mary  Ellsworth 216 

Woodpecker,  Three-toed 116,  336 

Wood  Pewee 273 


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